Fuuinjutsu: Uzumaki style
by Deus Namikaze
Summary: The Uzumaki's were known for being a little rough with their art. Following an encounter, Naruto resolves to take Fuuinjutsu to unimaginable heights
1. Inception: Prelude

_**Prelude:**_

Two figures were talking in hushed tones from within the Hokage office. That is, if you devoted all of your chakra into enhancing your hearing and you normally had very sharp hearing. For anyone else, they would be at loss as to what was taking place at the current moment due to certain S-rank soundproof scrolls being activated.

"Are you certain as to what you saw?"

"Yes, there's no mistaking it, the same thing would've happened if _he_ was in that situation."

"Well, this is very interesting; all this evidence leads to a strong possibility that our beloved Hokage has been reincarnated."

"Listen Jirai-"

"But what are the odds of this happening Sarutobi-sensei?" Jiraiya interjected. "More or less some sort of control over nature and his Bijū resident."

Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, let out a frustrated sigh. It was nearly impossible to convince Jiraiya to take another line of thought once he had started one back in his genin days and time didn't seem to help change that.

"As much as I understand what you are saying, there isn't enough evidence that suggests it will develop fully," Hiruzen said.

"That's why I have this," Jiraiya took out a scroll from his pocket. It looked like any other scroll with the exception of a thick orange rope tied over it. He removed the binding, placing it upon the desk in front of him, and then rolled the scroll out on the floor. Putting his fingers in a half-ram seal he muttered a command.

"Kai!"

A large scroll, about the size of the Toad summoning contract, was released from the scroll on the floor.

"And what, pray tell, is that?" Hiruzen asked with a hint of nonchalance.

"This, my beloved sensei, is Seikaku," Jiraiya retorted.

"Seikaku?"

"It may just well be the greatest and worst invention ever, depending on who got hold of it."

"Why?" the Hokage enquired giving Jiraiya a look of curiosity mixed with fear.

"Seikaku is a sacred heirloom that was given to Namikaze Arashi by his best friend, Asuka Hao, also known as Rikudō Sennin. In return, Arashi gave Hao the Rikudō Sennin no Hōgu. I guess you could say that Seikaku is a symbol of friendship between the Namikaze and the Asuka's, though they did split off to form Senju and Uchiha..." by now, Jiraiya noticed the old Hokage was just staring at him with a look of disbelief. "Err, Sarutobi-sensei?"

Said person shook his head to clear the information overload. "How did you find out all of this information, in fact, how am I even sure it's credible?"

"I was told all of this by Minato when he gave me Seikaku," the Gama Sennin responded. "This was when he named me as Naruto's godfather."

Sarutobi nodded slowly. "So what does it do?"

"Well, as the name suggests, it awakens any dormant Kekkei Genkai a ninja may have."

"How does it work?" Hiruzen eyed the large scroll with concern.

"Well I'm not too sure on the exact mechanics, it's a Namikaze secret, but according to Minato, the scroll reaches into you very soul, removing any barrier that may be blocking out your potential Kekkei Genkai." Jiraiya answered.

"Why did you say _potential_ Kekkei Genkai?"

"You see, since all the barriers are removed in an instant, it will cause an overload of power. If the power is not controlled, it could destroy your chakra coils; put you into a coma or even death. The least that can happen is that you Kekkei Genkai will be sealed away for good."

"Is age a factor in the success rate of the process?"

"Errm," Jiraiya sighed. "In a way, it is. It is better to use Seikaku on someone when they are young, since it is easier for their chakra coils to adjust to the strain of a Kekkei Genkai. However they might not have the will to control the power influx."

"Hmm," Hiruzen nodded sagely. "I see. So Seikaku can awaken _any_ Kekkei Genkai?"

"It can work as well on an Uchiha as it would on a Hyūga." Jiraiya drummed his fingers in the scroll.

"But don't you think Naruto-kun is a little too young for this," the Sandaime began to voice his concerns. "I understand this whole chakra coil development issue, but the will to restrain the power intake is what worries me most."

"Fear not sensei," Jiraiya raised up his hand to reassure the old Hokage. "If little Naruto is anything like his otō-san, then he should have the guts to never give up."

Sarutobi sighed for the umpteenth time that day. Jiraiya was right, Naruto should be able to handle the power surge, but his main concern was the boy having a childhood. It was bad enough that he was ostracized by the village, even beaten on some occasions, but to start him off at so young... it didn't sit too well with the Shinobi no Kami.

But if Naruto did truly have the supposed Kekkei Genkai, he could turn out to be even greater than the Yondaime; and maybe, _just maybe_, the greatest shinobi ever to grace the ninja world. So maybe the advantages did outweigh the disadvantages...

Fighting down a smile threatening to form at the edge of his lips, Hiruzen returned his attention back to his student.

"Alright, alright," the smile finally broke through. "You have my permission to use it. However, this must not leak out to anyone; if the council, especially Daanzō, gets wind of Seikaku, it would cause major problems."

"Heh," the Gama Sennin smirked. "I'll rather give up my research than let anyone know about it. Besides, shouldn't _I _be warning _you_ about the repercussions of anyone finding out about this plan rather than the other way round?"

Hiruzen merely chuckled while shaking his head slowly. "So, when do you want to do it?"

"As soon as possible really, I have a lead on Orochimaru and it'll be a shame for it to go to waste," Jiraiya responded while adopting his 'thinking pose.'

Again the Hokage sighed. "When are you going to give up on him, Jiraiya?" he pleaded. "You of all people should know when someone is a lost cause."

"Right back at you,_ sensei_," Jiraiya retorted with a hint of venom.

"What do you mean, I've already labelled him as a nuke-nin," Hiruzen protested.

"Would you have done it if it were not for his activities being made public knowledge?"

"W-w-we-"

"No, you wouldn't have," Jiraiya interrupted. "Just like why you didn't kill him all those years ago. Do you know why?"

The Sandaime didn't respond, his gaze fixed on a spot of the floor.

"Because no matter how far he has fallen, you still love him," the Gama Sennin finished. "Just like I still consider him a brother" he muttered.

The atmosphere was tense, while silence reigned in the office. The relationship between the two respected ninja wasn't too great, with resentment from Jiraiya, and guilt from Hiruzen. Jiraiya resented his sensei for his favoritism of Orochimaru, even though the criminal was very talented when he was younger. If it weren't for the timely breakthrough of Minato's fame and popularity, Orochimaru would be the Yondaime Hokage, and Kami knows what would've happened to Konoha. That's why Jiraiya was ever grateful for Minato and did what he could to help his legacy.

Hiruzens gaze roamed all over the office before settling on the Nidaime.

_Sensei, what would you have done?_

"Gomen nasai, Sarutobi-sensei," Jiraiya broke the silence.

Feeling the need to lift the atmosphere, Hiruzen decided to joke around.

"Whatever for?" he asked with an amused expression.

"Tch, senile old man," Jiraiya muttered, with a small grin of his own. "Do you think you could call Naruto in here now? It's getting kinda late."

Hiruzen gave a small nod before retrieving his crystal ball from beneath his wooden desk. Settling it down, he activated his Tōmegane no Jutsu. He used his chakra to move the sight around Konoha, searching for a certain blond. What met his sight however was nothing like he had ever seen before.

"SHIT!" he shouted and flared his chakra, requesting the presence of his personal ANBU.

"What?" Jiraiya asked. "What's happened?"

A weasel masked ANBU appeared in the office via Shunshin and settled on his knee.

"Hokage-sama," he greeted.

"Please Okojo-san," the Sandaime began, desperation clearly evident in his voice. "Naruto-kun is in danger."

"Understood," Okojo swiftly disappeared from the office.

"Sensei, what's wrong?" Jiraiya asked again.

All the Sandaime had to do it to turn the crystal ball to Jiraiya so he could see the transpiring events.

"Oh my goodness…"

* * *

><p>Fireworks exploded in the night sky, illuminating the landscape for a short while. The roars and cheers of the people of Konoha resonated through the streets as they enjoyed themselves. It was the seventh anniversary of the Kyūbi's defeat at the hands of the Yondaime, their savior.<p>

Everybody was having a good time. Stalls made money through various attractions. Even the most obvious of scams made a profit due to the jovial mood all around.

Well at most places anyway. If you listened very closely, you could've heard the cries for help, accompanied with drunken cheers coming from the walls of surrounding a rundown apartment complex in the ghetto of Konoha.

A young boy with unruly blonde hair and three whisker like marks on each bruised cheek. His torn white t-shirt barely covered his scarred and bloodied torso, while blood escaped freely from his lips, which were black from heavy bruising. His face was a sight to behold, with one eye completely shut, while the other one halfway there.

But that wasn't the most shocking sight. The most shocking thing about it all was the fact that the blonde boys hands were pinned to the wall, a kunai embedded through the palms, in a crucifix position. Due to the lack of support for his weight, the kunai's were beginning to tear through his palms. Even the most cold blooded of killers would be horrified at the scene.

"P-p-please," the young boy gasped with a hoarse voice. "I haven't done anything."

"Yyyeeaaahh," one of the attackers slurred. "Killing mmyy faaaaamily isn't anything, is it, _ddeemooon_?"

"Not so tough now, are you, you monster. Funny how you didn't think of the repercussions when you attacked all those years back," another man said and proceeded to spit into the face of the mob's helpless victim.

"Demon."

"Monster."

"Brat."

"Kyūbi."

"How dare you impersonate our beloved Yondaime! Who do you think you are?" a woman shrieked in a ridiculously high pitch. She slapped the boy's face, her nails leaving behind four deep red marks on his cheek.

The boy gasped in pain as his head was jerked sideways, fresh tears leaking out of his closed eyes.

"Alright guys," the ringleader stepped forwards, brandishing a katana with a wicked gleam. "It's time to finish what Minato-sama started."

Cheers of approval came from the group. The man nodded in acceptance, his brown hair, which was parted in the middle, swished back and forth. He placed the blade on the base of the blonde's neck.

"End of the line, _Kyūbi_," he began in a malicious tone.

"Please…"

"In the name of the Yondaime…"

"I'm sorry…"

"Namikaze Minato…"

"I beg of you…"

"the Sandaime…"

"Please don't do this…"

"Sarutobi Hiruzen…"

"I haven't done anything…"

"and the people of Konohagakure no Sato…"

"Stop…"

"I shall now rid the world of the Kyūbi…" the katana was lifted, giving room for a build up.

"Please…"

"may Kami have mercy on your soul," the man began the descent of his katana.

The boy lowered his head in acceptance of his cruel fate. He always knew it was a matter of time before someone will kill him. Since he got kicked out of the orphanage three years ago, people started to turn glares into beatings; the brunt of it always on his birthday.

Today was no different. He just went out for a quick meal at Ichiraku's before he got cornered by the mob that was waiting for him outside the apartment complex. He tried to get in but was backhanded to the floor. Two of the men grabbed an arm each and pinned his hands onto the wall. The torture began from there on.

The boy had many regrets. First and foremost was not being able to find out why people hated him. Another regret was that he never knew his parents. Did they love him? Are they still alive?

He decided that all those questions were meaningless, as he awaited death. Death shouldn't be taking this long; or was fate playing yet _another_ cruel trick on him. Hasn't he suffered enough? Well if he was going to die, then he might as well die while staring death in the face.

Slowly, he strained his eyes opened and gasped at the sight before him. All the people that where meant to be killing him were laid on the floor. His blue eyes, once vibrant and full of life, scanned over the pile of bodies to find his savior, before it rested on a figure in the ANBU uniform.

The ANBU had a weasel mask on, with a long black ponytail. The ANBU made his way over to the boy and did a quick check over. He made a Kage Bunshin which grabbed the handle of the kunai's, while the original placed his hands underneath the blonde boy's armpits.

"Bear with me Naruto-kun, this is going to hurt," the ANBU said.

He gave a nod to the Kage Bunshin, who in turn yanked the kunai's out of the wall and Naruto's hands. Naruto gave a small whimper, since he had no strength left to scream. The ANBU caught the boy and laid him down on the ground. He knew that taking Naruto to the hospital, especially on this day, wouldn't do him well, so he had to rely on the Kyūbi to heal the damage.

The ANBU took out a roll of bandage and began to wrap the boy's small hands. While he did his task, he discovered his vision was becoming blurry. Taking off his mask, he wiped his eyes with his hand and wasn't surprised to find it wet. The things he did and will do for this village seemed like a waste of effort.

"Don't worry Naruto-kun," the ANBU sniffed. "Everything is going to be all right." Turning to his Kage Bunshin, "Take these idiots to the ANBU cells and report to Hokage-sama."

The ANBU lifted Naruto into his arms and Shunshined into Naruto's flat. He laid the boy onto his bed and covered him. He gave the small flat a once over, checking each window to make sure they were locked. He checked the fridge, only to discover that most of it was past its date. The ANBU took out a black bag from one of the cupboards and began to clear out the fridge.

Once the task was done, he left the apartment and stood on the balcony, overlooking the nightlife of Konoha. Following a quick glance to the street, he noticed that all the bodies were cleared, not a trace left behind of any incident occurring there; truly ANBU quality. Following a quick sigh, the ANBU threw the bag into the air and made a few handsigns.

_Katon: Gokakyō no Jutsu_ he thought as a mediocre sized fireball consumed the still airborne bin bag.

The ANBU returned back into the flat, closing the door behind him and turn around to lock the door, but discovered there wasn't any lock. From what he had seen from Naruto's flat, the ANBU concluded that he had nothing worth stealing.

His attention was drawn back to the other occupant of the flat as he could hear some murmuring and short gasps for air. Setting off at a brisk pace, he reached the room in less than three second, greeted to the sight of a very distressed Naruto tossing and turning in his sleep.

Placing a cool hand on the young boy's forehead, the ANBU discovered Naruto was burning up, most likely a fever. He quickly activated his Sharingan to confirm it was indeed a fever then began a short series of handseals and placed his hands on the boy's hot forehead once again. A light blue hue surrounded his hand as he began to ooze his chakra into Naruto.

It was compulsory that all members of the ANBU knew at least the most basic of medical ninjutsu. First aid was good, but it could only go so far, whereas with medical ninjutsu, a broken leg or a fractured wrist could be healed in a matter of seconds. To top it all off, Senju Tsunade had given the ANBU a demonstration of the arts a while back, to which he took full advantage of by copying it with his Sharingan.

After a few seconds, Naruto began to calm his movements down, and his breathing became steadier. Eventually, the blonde drifted back to a peaceful sleep, prompting the ANBU to stop his ministrations.

The ANBU drew up a wooden chair from the small dining table to the side of the bed and threw his weight on it. He stared at the sleeping boy for a while, looking so innocent and harmless. It's funny how blind people could be when they didn't want to see the obvious.

A feeling of distress came upon the ANBU, causing him to close his eyes in order to relax. He remembered a promise he made when he was around four years old. A promise to a very important person in his life, to protect someone. A promise he had almost failed this day.

_Aunt Kushina… I'm so, so sorry…_

* * *

><p>"…to-kun."<p>

Large blue eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the light streaming in from the windows.

"Naruto-kun," the blonde heard a voice call him again.

Looking to the right where the voice was coming from, his blurred vision picking up a figure dressed in dark colours. Naruto raised his hands, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with his balled fists. He then realized something felt weird and looked at his palms with his newly cleared vision to discover it was wrapped in bandages.

Looking out of the window, he discovered it was around late morning, early afternoon with the villagers clearing up any of the leftover decorations from the previous days' celebrations. Seeing those strewn about banners and streamers triggered a flood of memories from last night's events to catch up with him.

"Naruto-kun, how are you feeling today?" the ANBU spoke up again.

Naruto examined the ANBU. He seemed a bit too young to be in ANBU, younger than all the others that were given the task of watching over the blonde. However, despite age, this was the man he owed his life to.

"I'm good, much better than yesterday anyway," Naruto replied.

"How are your hands?"

Naruto looked at his bandaged hands once again. He did _not_ want to experience anything like that again. Clenching his fists and relaxing them a couple of times, he returned his attention back to the waiting ANBU.

"They seem ok," he began. "Hey ANBU-san, can I take them off?" Naruto raised his hands into the air.

Not bothering to answer, the ANBU simply took a step closer to the bed and began to delicately remove the bandages. Once they were gone, the ANBU deposited the bandages on the bedside table, and then returned his attention back to Naruto's hands. Seeing as they were completely free from any marking of the sort, the ANBU was shocked, for lack of a better word.

"Errm, ANBU-san?" Naruto snapped the ANBU out of his daze.

"Gomen," he muttered. "I was just thinking that's all."

"What about this?" Naruto lifted his hands in the air for a brief moment before replacing it back on his lap. "It happens all the time."

_Must be the Kyūbi's doing…_

The ANBU shook his head ever so slightly to erase any lingering thoughts to return to the task at hand.

"Ok, go take a bath, Hokage-sama wants to see you as soon as possible," the ever-professional ANBU ordered in the least ordering manner possible.

"Ojī-san does?" Naruto beamed. Following a slight nod from the ANBU he began sprawling out of the bed. "Alright! Maybe he's finally gonna make me Hokage."

Naruto rushed into the bathroom after grabbing an orange towel from his wardrobe. The ANBU chuckled slightly. This kid was really optimistic…

* * *

><p>"Naruto-kun, I trust you are well?"<p>

After a swift breakfast of instant ramen, Naruto was given a piggyback ride across the rooftops to the Hokage tower by the ANBU. Once they entered the office, the ANBU, dismissed by his leader, swiftly disappeared with a Shunshin. The Sandaime, relieved to see Naruto ok after what he had witnessed, wrapped the boy in a hug. For that moment, he wasn't Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Hokage, he was Sarutobi Hiruzen, the ojī-san. Currently, he was still on one knee before Naruto, one hand placed firmly on his shoulder.

"Yeah, it's all good jiji!" he exclaimed. "ANBU-san really looked after me, though he could relax a bit," Naruto began to mumble a bit and scrunched his brows in concentration.

Hiruzen looked towards the door the ANBU once stood at. _'Itachi… arigatō.'_

"Besides, why did you call me here jiji, ooh! Ooh! I know, you've finally acknowledged my strength and now you wanna make me Hokage," Naruto began to chuckle and rub his hands quickly,as if he were concocting a plan of some sorts.

Hiruzen merely smiled and walked back round to his desk, where he took his seat. He gestured to the seat across the desk for Naruto to take a seat, which he did.

"Now, now Naruto-kun, I've already told you that being Hokage isn't all about being the strongest in the village," at this point, Naruto folded his arms across his chest and pouted slightly, causing the old Hokage chuckle slightly. "Besides there's someone I want you to meet."

As if on cue, a section of the wall began to flicker, eventually going away completely to reveal a tall white haired man. The man had his arms folded and leaned slightly on the wall.

"You!" Naruto jumped out of his seat and pointed at Jiraiya. "I know you, I saw you last week near the hot springs!"

If Jiraiya was irritated by the way the blonde addressed him, he didn't show it. Instead he let a smirk grace his lips.

"Tch, show some respect to you elders gaki," Jiraiya replied.

"Gaki!" Naruto was annoyed. "And what are you talking about 'respect to your elders?' Why should I show an ero-sennin respect?"

Jiraiya gasped. "E-ero-sennin? How did you come up with that?"

"Well, you _are_ perverted, then when I saw you, you were on a frog of some sort, hence the name ero-sennin," Naruto concluded with a bright grin that painfully reminded Jiraiya of Minato.

Pushing down his painful memories, the toad Sennin made a comeback.

"Well gaki, I'll have you know that I am the toad Sennin. And that's not all. In the north, in the south, east and west… the Densetsu no Sannin's white haired toad summoning child! The handsome man that can silence a child! He's Jiraiya-sama! That's me!" Jiraiya proclaimed in a kabuki pose.

Naruto was silent as he stared at the older man impassively. Jiraiya however began to get somewhat nervous under the child's scrutiny.

_It's exactly the same as Kushina… he is his mother's son after all_

"That," Naruto began, breaking the silence. "Is the most utter piece of self-idolizing bull crap I have ever heard, dattebayo."

Jiraiya was shocked to say the least. Despite looking very similar to his father, Naruto had all of his mother's personality traits, even the catchphrase, though it was slightly different since Kushina used to say 'dattebane'. Kushina used the exact same response, albeit more swearing, to his kabuki pose when Minato introduced him to her. Jiraiya was snapped out of his reverie by the sound of Hiruzen clearing his throat. By now, Naruto retook his seat.

"Ok, now that the introductions are over-"

"Wait a sec jiji," Naruto interrupted. "I haven't introduced myself yet!"

"I already know who you are, gaki," Jiraiya replied, once again with his arms folded across his chest.

"Well then, who am I?" Naruto retorted with a hint of challenge in his voice.

"Uzumaki Naruto, born October tenth, aged seven as of yesterday, blood type B, Jin-" Jiraiya caught himself before he slipped up.

"Yeah well," luckily for him, Naruto didn't seem to catch the slight error. "You're missing an important bit of information."

"What's that?" Jiraiya asked, slightly curious.

Hiruzen however, gave a small smirk since he knew what was coming up.

"I'm the future Hokage of Konoha," Naruto replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

Jiraiya smirked; time to take control.

"Well, I'll have you know that I trained the Yondaime," he stated with a lot of pride.

Naruto grew wide eyed as his breath got caught in his throat. This man, Jiraiya or whatever he called himself, trained _the_ Yondaime? The Yondaime was Naruto's personal hero, and this ero-sennin claimed the Yondaime learned from him. But somehow, deep down, Naruto knew he was telling the truth.

"Yeah well, you're still an ero-sennin," Naruto placed one hand behind his head while the other waved at the sennin dismissively.

Jiraiya couldn't do anything other than gape. This gaki, just dismissed him, one of the Dentetsu no Sannin, without a second glance. Hiruzen chuckled at the exchange before intervening.

"Anyway, we've seem to have gone off topic here," he began. "Naruto, before I go any further, do you know what a Kekkei Genkai is?"

"No, what's that?" the blonde responded.

"A Kekkei Genkai is an ability that some ninja may have. In most cases, the ability is restricted to the ninja and their clan, such as the Hyūga and their Byakugan or the Uchiha and their Sharingan. However, there might be special cases where only one ninja may have the ability, such as the Shodai Hokage, Senju Hashirama," Hiruzen filled him in.

Naruto nodded slowly, while processing the information. It was a lot to take in, especially for a kid of his age, but if a Hokage needed to know this, then so be it.

"Now, the reason we called you here is because Jiraiya and I believe you may have a Kekkei Genkai yourself," Hiruzen continued.

Naruto perked up at this statement.

"Really? What do I have?" he asked.

"Well," Jiraiya decided to join into the conversation at this point. "This is merely a speculation but, fingers crossed, we believe you may have inherited the Mokuton."

"The same Kekkei Genkai as the Shodai? Cool!" Naruto was practically jumping at the prospect of using the Mokuton.

"Now, now Naruto," Hiruzen interjected. "It is just a speculation, but now we want to confirm if you are indeed the inheritor of the Mokuton."

"Ok, so what do we have to do?"

"This is where I come in," Jiraiya began. "I have a scroll that will bring forth any potential Kekkei Genkai you may have. But, there is a catch."

Naruto paused for a second.

"Go on," he urged.

"When the scroll is used, it gives you an overload of power. If you cannot get this overload under control, then your potential Kekkei Genkai will be sealed forever, permanently. Worst case scenario, you could die."

Naruto's eyes widen for a split second, and then his face settled into a familiar grin.

"Well, I guess I have no choice then," he said. "I'm gonna do it."

"Alright, let's go."

Jiraiya walked towards an empty space in the office to begin setting things up while Naruto jumped off his chair to stretch out his joints.

"Whoa, wait a minute," Hiruzen called. Once he had Naruto's attention he continued. "Naruto-kun did you not listen to Jiraiya? He said you could die!"

"So what?" the blonde shrugged. "Once I become a ninja, I'll be facing death every time I go on a mission, hell I almost died yesterday if it weren't for ANBU-san. But if I am to become Hokage, then I need to take risks, even if I could die."

Sarutobi stared at the boy with something akin to awe. He will truly make a great Hokage one day.

"Ok, let's get started, ne?" Jiraiya said from his kneeling position on the floor.

Naruto's eyes drifted from Jiraiya's seated position to the scroll that was spread out in front of him. It was a large seal that seemed to radiate limitless power and knowledge. In the middle of the seal was a large circle with a ripple like pattern leading into the centre of the circle. The circle was flanked by for different parts of intricate calligraphy, one in each corner of the seal, in a spiral formation.

Hiruzen's breath hitched in his throat. Many times had he seen Jiraiya, Minato and Kushina working on seals together, and despite the simple look of Seikaku, he had not seen anything as beautiful as it.

Naruto's eyes were captivated by Seikaku. Something inside him had welled up, causing him to take a sudden interest in the art. Jiraiya caught this look. It was _that_ look; the exact same look Minato had when he invented the Hiraishin no Jutsu.

"Naruto," said blonde's attention returned back to the seated sennin. "I want you to take off your shirt and kneel across me."

Naruto did as he was told, whipping off his black t-shirt and dumping it on one of the chairs, before taking his place on the floor. Jiraiya began a series of hand seals at lightning quick speed, while muttering incoherent words as if he were chanting.

The air started to become denser as the seal began to glow light blue, chakra beginning to leak out and mix with the air. Jiraiya's ramblings became more fast paced, as did the speed he did his handseals, if that were possible. The ripple like pattern in the centre of Seikaku began to move, as if it were actual ripples of water.

"Fūinjutsu: Seikaku no Inzen!" Jiraiya clapped his hands together as he uttered the command.

A stream of chakra shot out of the centre of the seal, surrounding Jiraiya's clasped hands. He gripped his right elbow with his left hand and aimed his right hand at Naruto's stomach. The chakra cackled in his hand like electricity, causing the Kyūbi's seal to show on Naruto's stomach. It began to glow red for a moment but soon turned into a blue hue. The chakra concentrated at Jiraiya's hand shot out into the Kyūbi's seal, engulfing Naruto in the process and causing him to tense up.

Strange markings began to spread out from the jinchūriki mark, covering Naruto's entire torso, before glowing bright yellow. Jiraiya was panting slightly as he lowered his arms, looking on in awe. Same could be said about Hiruzen, who had now taken one of the visitor seats, just that he wasn't breathing laboriously.

The markings over Naruto began to slowly disappear, while the chakra shroud retreated back into Seikaku. Hiruzen glanced at the centre of Seikaku in time to see the ripple pattern morph into the kanji for yang. He looked at Jiraiya to see if he had noticed it, but Jiraiya was still focused on Naruto, who was now breathing heavily.

"Jiraiya," the Sandaime called.

"Hm?" was the reply he got. So much for respect to your elders.

When Sarutobi didn't answer, Jiraiya turned his gaze onto the older man and raised an eyebrow expectantly. Hiruzen merely gestured towards the seal on the floor.

Jiraiya audibly gasped upon seeing the seal, specifically the newly formed information. His hand made its way to his chin unconsciously as he began thinking of some theories.

_Of course, it all makes sense…_

"Hey ero-sennin, what's that?" Naruto asked while pointing to Seikaku.

"Eh?" Jiraiya regained his bearings. "Oh this is a seal. The Jutsu I did must be used together with this seal to work."

"Are there other types of seals?"

"Yeah, there's loads, explosive tags, chakra drainers, barriers, generic sealing," then Jiraiya looked at Naruto curiously. "What's up with the sudden interest anyway? Don't you want to know what the status of your Kekkei Genkai is?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah I do, it's just that… well I dunno, I guess I was just interested in it, that's all."

"Really?" Naruto gave a nod. "So, tell me gaki, what is so interesting about Fūinjutsu?"

Ignoring the jibe, Naruto proceeded to think about the answer.

"Everything, I guess," he answered after a short while.

"Well, first things first, the results. Naruto, according to Seikkaku, you have a large amount of yang chakra which is the reason why nature seems to react to your presence sometimes. However, this doesn't mean you have the Mokuton Kekkei Genkai." Jiraiya reported.

"Oh," Naruto continued to stare at the scroll.

To say Hiruzen was shocked is an understatement. This boy was practically glowing at the prospect of inheriting the Mokuton, but now it seemed he couldn't care less.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Hiruzen enquired.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"Well, you don't have a Kekkei Genkai…"

"What? Oh that's nothing, now I've got a new interest other than pranking!" Naruto grinned.

"So, what're you going to do about it?" Hiruzen asked.

"I dunno, I'm gonna have to find an instructor that doesn't hate me, but apart from you, Teuchi-ojisan, Ayame-nēchan and ero-sennin over there, everyone does," the blonde mumbled with a sad look on his face.

Jiraiya was pissed off to say the least. Why couldn't people honor Minato's dying wish and acknowledge the boy for who he really is? Things are gonna have to change, and he wasn't going to sit back and wait.

"Well then Naruto," Jiraiya began, shocking the boy by using his name for once. "It seems I'm gonna have to teach you."

Naruto's eyes widened to an unbelievable size. "Really?"

Jiraiya nodded and smiled.

Naruto flung himself at the older man, wrapping his arms around him while shouting "arigatō" a million times. Jiraiya merely chuckled while ruffling the boy's unruly hair while Hiruzen just watched the exchange with pride.

_At least now Naruto will have a family…_

"However," the Gama Sennin continued. "I will only give you the basics, the foundation. Everything else, you'll have to do by yourself, just like the Yondaime did."

While Jiraiya expected Naruto to freak out, he somehow knew that by mentioning Minato, the blow will be softened.

"So when are we gonna start?" Narruto looked at his newfound pseudo-sensei expectantly.

"Well, actually I'm not gonna be around for about nine months…" Jiraiya trailed off, unsure of how to finish his response.

"WHAT?" Naruto yelled. "NINE WHOLE MONTHS? WHAT AM I MEANT TO DO FOR NINE MONTHS?"

"Well, I want you to use the time I have given you to train a bit. You know, learn a few jutsu's, read a couple of scrolls… basically get a foundation in the ninja arts." The Gama-sennin replied.

"Yeah but like I said, who's gonna teach me?" Naruto asked dejectedly, his face downcast.

"Don't worry about that Naruto-kun, I'll help you," Hiruzen offered. "Though, it'll be more of you reading scrolls and learning the jutsu than me helping you every step of the way."

"That's ok; a Hokage has to be a leader, not a follower."

Hiruzen nodded. "Naruto-kun, go home and relax for the time being, I'll tell an ANBU to pick you up later on in the day when I have the scrolls ready for you."

"Ok jiji," Naruto made his way towards the door after putting on his shirt. "See ya later, you too ero-sennin."

"Tch, gaki…"

* * *

><p>A few knocks echoed through the Hokage office, prompting the Sandaime to quickly stash away his 'Ultra Super Limited Edition that lets the reader experience Takeshi's glorious ministrations as if they were in his shoes'-as Jiraiya liked to put it-of Icha Icha Paradise into one of the many wooden drawers in his desk.<p>

After straightening out his robes and wiping off a stray bit of drool that threatened to betray his actions to the prying eyes of shinobi, Hiruzen beckoned his visitor in.

Naruto entered the office, followed closely by Itachi-Okojo to everyone else-in his ANBU gear, mask and all. Itachi's body language was relaxed, something rarely seen on the young ANBU, even more so on an Uchiha. Maybe Itachi had taken a liking to Naruto after all.

Briefly recalling the previous day's events, Hiruzen was immensely relieved when Itachi's Kage Bunshin reported that he had managed to save Naruto from the villagers. He didn't know how he would have lived with himself if he couldn't protect the legacy of his successor.

What got him worried was that even though the villagers were cold towards Naruto, they were never openly hostile to the boy, even on his previous birthdays. What got him even more worried was the fact that one of the attackers, the ringleader most likely, managed to escape from Itachi while he dispatched of the others. That shouldn't be possible for a shinobi, much less a citizen.

Following an intensive interrogation by Morino Ibiki, it seemed none of the caught offenders could remember anything from the event. According to Yamanaka Inoichi, when he walked through the minds of the group, everything was hazy, as if he were put under a very powerful genjutsu.

Sighing and pushing those lingering thoughts to the deepest recesses of his mind, Hiruzen refocused his attention back to the pair standing in front of him.

"Arigatō Okojo-san," Hiruzen said, his gaze locked with the ANBU. "For everything."

The ANBU nodded in conformation, he had received the hidden message. Even though it was a special protocol set up for Naruto that if the ANBU were told to check up on him, they had to stay with him for at least an hour, Itachi knew he would have stayed the night if there were no such rule. He owed it to the Yondaime and his adopted aunt to do so.

"Hai, Hokage-sama," Itachi replied with a low bow.

"I will see to it that you are promoted to the rank of a full ANBU commander."

Itachi let out a gasp, but managed to keep it as inaudible as he could, after all, it wouldn't do for an ANBU to show their emotions in public. The Hokage however caught the gasp and gave the Uchiha a small smile.

"Arigatō, Hokage-sama, I shall not disappoint you," Itachi gave an even lower bow to the Hokage, if that were even possible.

Hiruzen gave a nod as he received the promise, "You are dismissed."

Itachi disappeared with a Shunshin, leaving the Hokage and the Kyūbi jinchūriki behind. Hiruzen removed his gaze from the previously occupied spot and let it wander back to Naruto, who had now helped himself to a seat. He noticed how Naruto looked as if he were deep in thought and somewhat troubled.

"Ah Naruto-kun, how are you doing? I hope all is well?" the Sandaime questioned.

Naruto snapped out of his musings, immediately putting up a large grin.

"Yeah, everything is good ojīchan," he said with a large grin. Hiruzen however, couldn't help but notice the smile seemed fake.

"Naruto-kun," he said with a small frown. "You can tell me anything, you know."

"Really?" there was a hint of pleading in Naruto's voice.

"Yes, you shouldn't bottle everything up, even I have to tell other people my problems," Hiruzen reassured with a kind smile.

"Well…" Naruto paused for a while, and then let out a small sigh. "It's just… when I was coming here, I could hear people talking."

"And…?"

"I was just wondering, why do people hate me so much, I mean normally I wouldn't really care, but since you know, last night, I'm just curious, is all," Naruto explained.

_Well, here goes…_

"Okay Naruto, what I am about to tell you does not leave this office ok?" Naruto nodded shakily. "In this world, there are nine large living beasts of chakra known as the bijū. No one knows how these beings came into existence, although I do have a theory… but that's a story for another time.

"At one point in time, Konoha was in possession of all the bijū, thanks to the Shodai Hokage's Mokuton jutsu's. However, in order to keep a power balance between all the nations, he spread them out between the five great shinobi nations, keeping the Kyūbi no Kitsune, the strongest of the bijū, for Konoha.

"Eventually, after his death, the bijū began to run wild, so in order for the villages to control them, they were sealed into people, who in turn became known as Jinchūriki," Naruto gasped loudly at this point.

"Now, 7 years ago, the Kyūbi managed to break out from its Jinchūriki, going on a rampage towards Konoha, before the Yondaime stopped it."

"And he killed it right?" Naruto asked with some sort of hope.

His hope was quickly crushed when Hiruzen began to shake his head slowly, a sad frown now evident on his aged features.

"The thing about the bijū is, they can't be killed. You cannot kill chakra. So the only thing the Yondaime could do was to seal the Kyūi into a new host, a newborn baby, creating a new Jinchūriki," the Sandaime paused at that point, unsure if he should go on. He saw Naruto's head was lowered at this point.

"That… that child," Naruto mumbled. "It was me… right?"

Hiruzen nodded slowly in confirmation even though Naruto couldn't see it. Naruto must have expected him to do so since he continued.

"Wow, I never knew people could be so ungrateful," the blond said, surprising Hiruzen with a large genuine grin.

To say Hiruzen was bewildered was an understatement. He expected Naruto to scream and shout and thrash about, screaming about how it wasn't fair and how the Yondaime was a stupid son of a bitch who had embarrassed him with his awesome prank in front of those beautiful ladies while he was still a Genin…

_Ok Hiruzen, no need to let past issues resurface no matter how humiliating it may have been… _

But this was unexpected.

"How do you mean Naruto-kun?"

"Well, I'm the only thing stopping the Kyūbi from running loose, and they can't at least be indifferent to me, instead of calling me a monster and whatnot," Naruto explained. "I'm not asking that they kiss my ass, just you know; treat me like the other kids."

"So what do you plan to do?"

"I'm gonna become the greatest Fūinjutsu master, Hokage and Jinchūriki this world has ever known," the blond declared with a pump of his fist.

Hiruzen smiled warmly at the child in front of him. It was as clear as day that the Will of Fire burned strongly in Naruto.

_Here you go sensei, you were right that there will be a day that I will see the Will of Fire manifest itself physically…_

He reached into the top drawer of his wooden desk, producing four scrolls, each with a different kanji signifying their uses.

"Ok, I want you to study these four scrolls," he made a gesture to the items in topic. "However, I strongly recommend you study this one first," Hiruzen handed the scroll over to Naruto.

"'A ninja's guide to hand seals,'" Naruto read. "Seems cool."

"Yes, this will make it easier for you to learn these other jutsu's I have in mind for you," Hiruzen continued while handing the other three scrolls over to Naruto.

"Hmm, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, Kunai Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu… hey what's the deal ojīchan? Where's the Tairyōhakaiheiki no Jutsu and the Konzetsu no Berugu no Jutsu and the Hiraishin no Jutsu ne?"

Hiruzen, who thought Naruto was just spouting nonsense, was shocked for the umpteenth time that day. How did naruto know about the Hiraishin no Jutsu? If he did, then who else knew for that matter? He knew for sure that the council, Danzō in particular, was itching to get their hands on the inventions of Namikaze Minato.

Deciding to test the waters, Hiruzen had to confirm whether or whether not Naruto knew about the Hiraishin.

"You do know that none of the Jutsu's you just mentioned are not real," he said, anxiously waiting for the blonde's reply.

"I know dammit, but these Jutsu's seem so… weak," Naruto responded with a hint of annoyance.

Hiruzen let out a sigh of relief, though he had to make sure there was no leak.

"Well Naruto, I'll have you know that the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu is a B-rank Jutsu that most ninja have extreme difficulties in using," he retorted.

"Hmph," Naruto huffed unimpressed. "Even ANBU-san's?"

"Especially ANBU-san's," Hiruzen stated proudly.

Naruto did a full 180, now staring at the scrolls with renewed vigor and interest.

"Ok Naruto-kun, I want you to go home and master every aspect of the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu and return to me so that you can work on the other two scrolls," Hiruzen said.

"You've got it jiji!" Naruto jumped out of his seat, saluting the Hokage as he did so.

Hiruzen chuckled at the warm display. "Alright then, run along and train, I'm expecting results soon."

With a quick wave, Naruto dashed out of the room, leaving the Sandaime alone with his paperwork; or so he thought.

With a slight perverted giggle, Hiruzen reached into his drawer to resume where he left off.

_Ahh where was I again? Oh yes, Hitomi is just about to get a pearl necklace. Hehehe, Jiraiya you genius…_

* * *

><p>"Alright then, hand seals, here I come!" Naruto declared to himself. He opened the scroll for said topic, revealing diagrams for each seal. "Okay let's see…"<p>

Naruto practiced well into the night, going over each seal carefully so that he knew them all by heart. He began to make up random sequences in order to improve the speed at which he made the hand seals. Despite being relatively fast for a seven year old, Naruto knew that compared to real ninja he was as slow as a sloth.

Morning came sooner than expected, with the sun shining on Naruto's sleepy features. With a groan, he managed to convince his body he could still go about the day, even if he only had two hours sleep.

"Mmm, need to move… gotta be greatest Hokage… gotta be Fūinjutsu master," he gave himself a drowsy pep talk.

He dragged himself to his bathroom to brush his teeth and take a quick shower. After drying himself off, Naruto threw on a white shirt with a red spiral and black shorts. He placed 3 cups of instant ramen in the microwave, deciding to spend those abysmal three minutes going over the Kage Bunshin scroll. Once the waiting period was up, he wolfed down the content of the cups in record time.

"Now, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, allows the user to create solid copies of themselves. Can be used to overwhelm opponents. To perform, make your index and middle fingers from both hands into a cross..."

* * *

><p>"Alright Naruto-kun, let me see the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," Hiruzen commanded.<p>

"Hai, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Immediately, ten clones poofed into existence, surrounding their creator and the Sandaime alike in the training field.

"Very good Naruto-kun," Hiruzen commended the blonde while he dispelled the clones. "Now tell me, in this past month have you been able to discover everything about the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu?"

Naruto seemed to be mumbling to himself as he recollected all of his thoughts.

"Well, one thing I've found out is that I seem to gain any memory the clone may have, like if I send one to warm me some ramen, once it dispels it's like I was warming the ramen," Naruto answered.

"Well done Naruto-kun, I have to say I'm surprised you managed to discover this in less than a month; it took me nearly a year!" Hiruzen said. "Now, I trust you have memorized the hand seals for the Kunai and Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu?"

"Yeah, it's ohitsuji, nezumi, tori, inoshishi and tora."

"Good, now today we're going to practice with dummy weapons to help you gain throwing accuracy. I want you to practice with these targets," Hiruzen gestured to three targets set up against three trees, "until you can get bulls-eye five times in a row on each board, in quick succession."

"That's all? When am I gonna do the jutsu?"

"Patience Naruto-kun, patience. It's a skill every Hokage needs to have, everything will fall into place in due time. Now run along, I want to see instant results."

* * *

><p>"Danzō-sama, our visitor has arrived."<p>

"Send him in," Danzō ordered.

Once the 'Ne' operative left the room, Shimura Danzō began to adjust his seating position slightly. The bare room had nothing other than two seats and a lone 20 watt light bulb.

The door opened, the 'Ne' operative re-entering the room and sinking into the shadows, followed by a man in his mid 30s. He had black hair in a bob cut and his eyebrows were clipped, showing his status as nobility. He was wearing a dark blue kimono and wooden geta.

"Danzō, it's nice to see you again; it _has_ been a while, hasn't it?" the man addressed the 'Ne' leader as he took the other seat.

"Yes, it has," Danzō replied.

_But not long enough_

"It seems you have a new look again," he continued.

"Ah, you know me, I'm a vain man," the man said with a smirk, giving Danzō a small wave. "Anyway, enough with the pleasantries, we don't need to act for your various pets concealed in the ground and walls alike."

Danzō was momentarily stunned. How he had underestimated this man before him. To be able to detect the various 'Ne' operatives in the room, you will have to have been an extremely good and experienced sensor. Even he had some trouble detecting exactly how many operatives were present.

Banishing all lingering thoughts, Danzō addressed the visitor.

"So what do you want?" he asked.

"Feigning ignorance are we?" the mask replied in a jovial tone. "You know _exactly_ why I'm here, Danzō-_chan_."

If Danzō was offended by the 'endearment' used with his name, he didn't show it, his emotions hidden away like a true ninja.

"According to Ryōmatsu, there was no sign of the captive leaking out."

"How far was the guard pushed?"

"Very far, almost to the point of eternal bliss if Ryōmatsu's word can be trusted."

"I can sense a 'but' coming up."

Danzō sighed. Dealing with sleazy people sure was annoying. Maybe that's how Hiruzen felt.

"The operation was interrupted, by one of the Esemono's elite none the less."

The man seemed to ponder on this for a few moments, crossing his arms and staring at the ground.

"Well," he said, once again looking Danzō in the eye. "This seems to be an interesting development. However, due to recklessness on your part, you are still in my debt."

"What are you talking about?" the 'Ne' founder responded with a bit of rage. "I owe you nothing; I have done all my various parts in your little scheme, and a stroke of misfortunehas nothing to do with me!"

"You will know your place _Inu_," the man sneered. "If I wanted to, I could tear down this whole place along with you."

That promptly shut Danzō up from any retorts of the sorts.

"Now, you are _still_ in my debt, you will _stay_ in my debt until I see fit and you _will_ do as you are told."

Danzō glared at the man but the message was clear. He has too much to lose to start disobeying orders, no matter how infuriating they may be.

"I'm going to Iwa for a while, so I want you to monitor the guard, I have reason to believe he could be the one," the man got up and began to walk towards the door before stopping in the doorway. "Oh and before I forget, make sure your Aburame receive intense training in stealth, I could see them from a mile away," and with a last chuckle he left.

Danzō remained seated. His exterior was the epitome of shinobi and kunoichi alike, calm and collected. Inside however, was a torrent of anger and rage. Just who exactly did that man think he is, talking to an S-rank ninja in all the bingo books like that? Danzō would've ordered the execution of the man right there if working with him wasn't absolutely necessary.

With a small jerk of his wrist, a 'Ne' operative was immediately kneeling at his feet.

"Do as he says and watch the potential. Also, assess him if he could become part of the 'Ne' of Konoha… there has to be a plausible reason why _he_ would take interest in such a person. Dismissed."

The operative disappeared as swiftly as he came, leaving Danzō as the only visible occupant of the room. The aged leader stood up from his seat and began to make his way out of the room. There was a council meeting coming up to discuss certain parameters of the village. The Uchiha were becoming quite troublesome recently…

* * *

><p>"GET DOWN NOW!"<p>

All of the new Academy students dropped to the grass of the Academy training field with the exception of two girls. Both of them were rooted to the spot in fear as a pair of kunai's headed towards them.

"SAKURA! INO!" Umino Iruko cried out as he scrambled towards the girls.

Time seemed to slow down as Akimichi Chōji managed to tackle Ino to the ground, leaving Sakura as the only one in harm's way. Just as the Chūnin teacher thought all hope was lost for the girl, a yellow blur-_flash?_-pushed her to safety. However, he was the one struck by the kunai instead as it whizzed past him.

There were gasps of shock from the class, who were now getting up. Iruka quickly jogged over to the site, scanning Ino and Sakura once over for any injuries, before resting his eyes on the yellow blur, Uzumaki Naruto.

Naruto began to stir from his dazed state on the grass. He opened his eyes slowly to meet the eyes of many curious students, the most being from the instructor.

"Ano, are you ok?" Iruka asked as he knelt next to the boy. He noticed that the boy wasn't cut in any place, which was strange. He had heard of Naruto's accelerated healing, but healing a kunai wound in less than ten seconds was unheard of. Unless the boy had somehow dodged it.

_Naa, not even Jōnin's have that kind of reflexes. Only Minato-sama was known to have dodged a chakra enhanced katana, right before it decapitated him. _

"Eh?" Naruto asked, still slightly dazed and getting up. The crowd that had gathered around him took a couple of steps back to give him space.

"You ok? You just got hit by a kunai," Iruka said while rising to his full height.

"Kunai?" Naruto said. "Err woke up, had ramen, met jiji, ANBU-san showed me new target training, practiced, two missed, ran, saw girl…" he mumbled to himself.

The crowd strained their ears to hear the boy's recollection. Some however found it too troublesome to continue listening and went for some cloud watching.

"GOMEN NASAI NINJA-SAN!"

Naruto's outburst brought the attention of the gathered students back to him, only to find him prostrate on the floor, as if he were worshiping Iruka.

"I was stupid in my training and a fellow Konoha citizen almost died!" he shouted from his place on the floor, pounding his forehead on the soft grass repeatedly.

"Ano…" Iruka chuckled nervously due to his inexperience in these types of scenarios. "It's ok, it was just an accident… come on, you don't need to pound your head on the ground."

Iruka helped the blonde up, only to see he had tears on his face along with a pained expression. His bottom lip was quivering seriously as more tears streamed down his face from his eyes which had dark rings below them. This boy was an enigma. Being in tears because you almost injured someone in training was unheard of.

"Come on kid," the Chūnin refrained from using the blond's first name to avoid suspicion. "There's no need to cry."

"But ninja-san, how can I be Hokage if I am reckless? I knew I was tired but I still attempted the trick," Naruto said, a fresh batch of tears coming through as he balled up his fists at his sides. He was shaking with distress and his eyes remained glued to the ground.

"You Hokage? Psh, yeah right, you aint even in the Academy," a boy with brown hair and sharp blick eyes eyes taunted. "Besides, they aren't sissies."

"Kiba," Iruka began in a stern tone while slightly glaring at the Inuzuka. "Being Hokage is not always about strength."

Kiba just 'hmphed', turning away with a pout. Naruto however, began to slow his tears. This was the first time a random stranger-despite being a ninja-had defended him. Iruka himself was also surprised by his actions. He never expected himself to defend the boy that housed the very thing that had devastated Konoha, that had taken his parents away from him.

But Naruto's heroics had removed any prejudice or deep seated resentment he had for the boy. No person with an evil heart will have risked themselves to save a random person. Even more so, admit that they were the ones who had endangered the lives of others.

Seeing as the boy was still crying, Iruka decided to cheer him up.

"Hey kid calm down, no one's hurt," the instructor gestured to Ino and Sakura who were looking at the other blond with curiosity. "In fact, why don't you show the rest of the class the trick you were practicing?"

"B-but ninja-san, what if I hurt someone?" Naruto stammered.

"Don't worry, I won't let anyone get hurt," Iruka responded with a big grin.

Naruto's fears were washed away and he wiped his face with the back of his palms.

"Alright ninja-san!" Naruto beamed and bounded off towards the forest.

Iruka told the class to follow him into the forest, while dragging Shikamaru from his spot. The group came across a lush clearing with one rock about a meter in front of a tree. The tree, along with five others had a target on it. Each target had various holes signifying where it had been hit.

Iruka instructed the group to sit down while he stood behind them, observing Naruto getting ready. He observed the blond taking deep breaths to calm himself down, his eyes closed and his face lifted up to the clear, sunny sky.

_Alright Godaime-sama, you can do this, easy breaths now, visualize, just as ANBU-san said…_

Without warning, Naruto immediately jumped high into the air, making a backflip once his descent began, so that he was falling back to the earth head first. Sasuke watched from within the crowds as he brought his arms in front of his face in a cross, revealing three kunai's in each hand.

_Wait I recognize this move…_

He spun his body to the right, releasing the kunai's from his left hand towards its targets. He then continued with the momentum and threw the kunai's in his right.

_This is Nī-san's kunai maneuver! _

While that was happening, Naruto quickly drew another kunai from his pocket with his left hand and threw it with even greater force towards the ones he had released. The final kunai hit one of the previously thrown kunai's and diverted its course.

Naruto landed slightly awkward but he managed to avoid injury, though his right foot felt quite numb. He shook the foot to get rid of the feeling and turned to face the class. Some of them were staring at him wide eyed. Others had their jaws wide open. Others had a combination of the two. For Shikamaru, his lazy expression was gone. But the one that touched Naruto the most was the praise that was clearly written on Iruka's face.

"So errm…" Naruto paused trying to formulate the correct words. "Was it… good?"

This seemed to snap the boy named Kiba from his daze.

"Good? Whadya mean good?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, did you guys… I dunno… like… it?" the blonde asked carefully. "I mean, my aim was off, and I didn't calculate the speed of the last kunai properly, an-"

"Man that was _awesome_!" Kiba said, earning mutters of agreement from the class. "You've gotta show me how to do that!"

Naruto blushed in embarrassment. Sure he had been praised by the old man, Teuchi and Ayame, but hearing it from someone his age was something he just was not used to.

Many of the kids had run up to the blond saying how awesome he looked in the air and if he could do it again. Naruto was simply lost for words. Thankfully he was saved by Iruka who diverted their attention back to him.

"Alright class, school's over so it's time to go home," the Chūnin instructor began "Why don't we thank…" he trailed off looking at Naruto expectantly.

"Naruto."

"Naruto-kun for showing us this demonstration."

"Arigatō Naruto!" the class chanted.

Naruto blushed heavily, chuckling nervously while he rubbed the back of his head.

"Ano, it's nothing," he said meekly.

"Ok class, you are dismissed."

As soon as those words left Iruka's lips, most of the students ran away, back in the direction they came from. Only a couple lingered around while pointing at the various targets set up in the clearing.

Uchiha Sasuke decided to approach the blond concerning a question he had on his mind at the moment.

"Hey Naruto!" he called out as he made his way towards the blond.

Naruto turned his attention to the Uchiha. "Erm hi…"

"Uchiha Sasuke," he said.

"Hi Sasuke, what's up?"

"I was just wondering where you learned that move from," Sasuke said.

Iruka chose this moment to join into the conversation.

"Yeah, where did you, I'm intrigued," he added.

"A-am I in trouble?" Naruto asked with a trace of fear.

"No, I just wanted to know who you are getting trained by since I haven't seen you around the academy," Sasuke asked.

"Oh no, I'm training myself."

"Really?" Iruka was shocked.

"Hai, but that moved was shown to me by ANBU-san," Naruto clarified.

"Oh I see," Sasuke folded his arms, gazing into the sky for a while. "Well I better get going now, bye Iruka-sensei, bye Naruto," he said as he ran back towards the academy.

_I'm so practicing Nī-san's move today…_

Naruto and Iruka watched the boy's back as it disappeared into the trees.

"Ano Naruto," Iruka began. "Just a quick question, where did you get those kunai from?"

"These?" Naruto gestured to the target board. "Jiji gave it to me."

"Jiji?" it was common knowledge that the Kyūbi Jinchūriki had no family.

"Yeah the Hokage," the blond explained. "He said it will be beneficial for my training."

"I see," Iruka nodded slowly.

They descended back into a comfortable silence, both just admiring the beautiful scenery that surrounded them. However a large rumble emanated from Naruto's stomach, breaking the silence.

"Would you like to errm… get something to eat? My treat?" Iruka asked carefully.

"Would I? Man I haven't eaten in three days!" Naruto exclaimed.

"T-three days? What have you been doing?"

"Well, since ANBU-san showed me the move five days ago, I practiced non-stop. I gave up food three days ago, along with sleep."

_Well that explains the dark lines under his eyes._

"Naruto, no matter what you are doing, you should never give up eating!"

"Even when training?"

The Chūnin gave an exasperated sigh.

"_Especially_ when you're training," he looked at the blond who was currently pouting. He chuckled silently, "So where do you want to go?"

"Only _the_ _best_ restaurant ever, Ichiraku Ramen!" Naruto pumped his fist into the air.

This time, Iruka couldn't hold back his laughter. He continued laughing for a while as Naruto watched him incredulously.

"Hey, what's so funny?"

"N-nothing," the instructor managed to restrain himself. "Anyway let's get going."

As the pair walked out of the clearing, Naruto realized he was missing one key bit of information.

"Ano ninja-san."

"Hm?"

"What's your name?"

"Umino Iruka, Chūnin of Konoha."

"Nice to meet you Iruka-nīsan!"

Those word touched Iruka deeply.

_Naruto… you don't deserve that kind of treatment…_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Authors Note: <strong>_

Alright ladies and gents, that was chapter one of my new fic! If you're wondering why Naruto wasn't given a bloodline, well let's just say, I considered that idea, only for it to end up as having a godlike Naruto. I've always wanted to do an Fūinjutsu master Naruto fic, so there you go.

Just so will know, Naruto IS NOT gonna be overpowered, this WILL NOT be a carbon copy of the canon series, but with Naruto acing everything he does. Sure he might ace a few things, but it won't be ridiculous. Hell I hate those fanfics, there's one so bad that Naruto defeats Itachi at the age of 14, even while he was using his MS and Susanoo.

As for Rikudō Sennin's name, I came up with the surname Asuka since the Japanese Imperial Regalia originated in the Asuka period. The name Hao is a reference to Asakura Hao from Shaman King as they were moth masters of Yin-Yang (Rikudō's Onmyōton along with Hao's status as an Onmyōji) and I just thought the name would have suited him.

Okojo is a short tailed weasel in case you were wondering, better to call Itachi that than Itachi as his codename; obvious much?

Sasuke is still a good little boy since the massacre hasn't occurred yet, so it only makes sense that he has no fangirls yet.

_**Techniques**_

_Seikaku -_ Awakening - a seal used in conjunction with _Fūinjutsu: Seikaku no Inzen_ which awakens one's dormant Kekkei Genkai. However, it causes an overload of power when used, and if the person cannot control it, their Kekkei Genkai will be sealed forever.

_Fūinjutsu: Seikaku no Inzen -_ Awakening of hidden power - a jutsu used in conjunction with Seikaku in order to awaken ones dormant Kekkei Genkai.

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_ -_ Shadow clone technique.

_Kunai Kage Bunshin no Jutsu -_ Kunai Shadow clone technique.

_Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu -_ Shuriken Shadow clone technique.

_Tairyōhakaiheiki no Jutsu -_ Mass destruction technique- a figment of Naruto's imagination.

_Berugu no Konzetsu no Jutsu -_ Eradication of the mountains technique- a figment of Naruto's imagination.

_Hiraishin no Jutsu -_ Flying Thunder god technique- S-rank jutsu which allows the user to teleport to another location marked with a jutsu-shiki in the blink of an eye. Created and emplyed by Namikaze Minato in the Third Great Ninja War, allowing him to wipe out whole battalions in the blink of an eye, thus earning him the moniker "Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō." However in this case, it is a figment of Naruto's imagination oddly enough.

I'm not too sure when the next chapter will be out, but it should come out next month

Ja ne!


	2. Inception: Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1**_

Naruto was frustrated.

Actually, he was _very_ frustrated.

When he agreed to learn Fūinjutsu from Jiraiya, he expected to actually do some practical work instead of being subject to an extensive speech about the dangers of the art and whatnot.

"-extremely dangerous, you never know when it could go wrong. One minute everything's rosy…"

Not to mention while under the full glare of the afternoon sun.

"-st you could endanger your comra…"

Naruto zoned out at this point, the seventh time since the dialogue began. He decided to reflect on all that has happened in the last couple of months.

For any other kid, their eighth birthday will be a happy day, when they can celebrate with all their friends and family, receiving various gifts and have a good time.

Naruto however, was still deeply traumatised over his previous birthday. Despite the new jutsu he had in his arsenal, first, he didn't want to hurt anyone accidently and second, if he did use the jutsu, people might make his seventh birthday a regular occurrence.

So, he decided to coop himself up in his meagre flat, curtains drawn, lock on the door, away from the masses and festivals, while reading a book on Senju Hashirama. He found out that he could possibly be related to the Shodai. Apparently, an Uzumaki going by the name of Mito was married to Hashirama. However, this speculation was quickly crushed since if he was related to any Hokage, people would treat him much better than how they did, Kyūbi Jinchūriki or not.

Another interesting highlight in the book was the fight between Hashirama and Uchiha Madara. Both were considered to be the best in the world, leaders of their respective clans and greatly respected. When those two juggernauts clashed, the battlefield was so torn up; it became a valley, now known as Shūmatsu no Tani. Since then, the Uchiha hadn't produced a ninja of exceptional talent, well according to his knowledge.

Thinking of Uchiha, some months before Naruto's eighth; he noticed all of them just disappeared. Even their clan quarters were eerily quiet. Apparently there were wiped out, by the son of the clan head no less, leaving only one survivor, if idle village gossip was to be trusted. Naruto hoped and prayed to Kami that the boy whom he met from the academy wasn't one of the many victims of the slaughter.

Along with the disappearance of the Uchiha clan, Naruto's ANBU saviour was another missing person from the village. Okojo –Okojo-nī in Naruto's case- had retired from ANBU according to the Sandaime. In his stead, an Inu masked ANBU with gravity defying silver hair took his place.

Naruto had nothing against his new 'guardian', but his aloof nature was starting to make the blonde angry. Despite the fact that Okojo-nī was ever-stoic and aloof, Naruto was still able to break down the young ANBU's professional barriers, causing him to view Naruto as a younger brother. Inu, however, didn't want to know.

Naruto stared at the deep blue afternoon sky as he chewed on a stick of pocky, something he decided to try out since he found a whole pack of it in Okojo's weapon pouch. He sighed in content as he finished the candy treat before finding himself kissing the grass.

The blonde lifted himself up, glaring at Jiraiya intensely. "Ne, ne Ero-sennin, what was that for?"

"That was for ignoring me and wasting my precious time," Jiraiya replied, giving Naruto a self-righteous look.

"I already know all of this; you say the same thing every time!" Naruto retorted.

"You think?" Naruto nodded. "Alright then, draw a storage seal on that scroll."

Naruto grabbed the scroll, ink pot and brush that was laid on the grass and set to work. He unfurled the scroll so that about half a meter was exposed, opened the ink pot, dipped the brush in, and set to work.

The blonde drew the different matrixes and parameters with pinpoint precision, gliding the brush over the parchment ever so gently. There were seven lines of complex symbols that were arranged in a circular pattern, as if it were surrounding something.

Naruto leaned back to inspect his handiwork, checking for any mistakes he may have made. Once he was satisfied with the newly made seal, he called gave Jiraiya a look, telling the Gama Sennin he was done.

Jiraiya glanced at the seal, and then returned his gaze back to Naruto. The young Jinchūriki watched as Jiraiya's gaze continuously alternated between himself and the seal for a good five minutes before the tension became too much for him to handle.

"Alright, I can't take this anymore," Naruto proclaimed. "Is it good or not?"

"Well what do _you_ think?" Jiraiya asked.

"The he-? Ne, ne Ero-sennin, you're supposed to be the expert," Naruto replied.

"What good is me teaching you Fūinjutsu if you can't discern if a seal is drawn up correctly?"

Naruto opened his mouth to make a retort, but instead decided to think about it. The old pervert did have a point. What good was it if he, a soon to be Fūinjutsu master, couldn't make a fully functional seal at every attempt. After giving the seal a once over again, Naruto was pretty confident it was drawn correctly.

"Well, I think it's good," the blonde stated.

"You sure?"

"Yep, I'm willing to bet."

"How much?"

"Huh?" Naruto asked.

"How much are you willing to bet?" Jiraiya reiterated.

"I dunno," he shrugged. "Anything I guess."

"Alrighty then."

Jiraiya reached into his robes, his hand rummaging around for a bit before bringing out a green plush toy.

"This here," the white-haired man began. "Is your bet."

If it were anyone else, they would have either sweat dropped or face faulted at that point. However, Naruto wasn't just anyone else. The plush toy was in fact his toad wallet, his Gama-chan, and was bursting to the brim full of ryō.

"Where did you get that from!" the blond exclaimed while, albeit unsuccessfully, trying to snatch the purse from the older man.

"Trade secret," Jiraiya smirked and tapped his nose with his forefinger.

"B-but why do you have it with you?" Naruto asked.

"Didn't you listen to what I just said?" when Naruto nodded in confirmation, Jiraiya could only sigh and shake his head in disbelief.

_And to think his father was a genius… well sorry Minato, but your swimmers must've used up all of its energy to get to the site, nothing left to establish __**your**__ genes into your son… well maybe apart from appearance._

"Anyway, as I was saying, before you interrupted me with your petty insecurities, your wallet or purse, whichever suits you best, is your bet," Jiraiya stated.

"Ano, how does that work?"

"Well, since you're so sure that your seal was drawn correctly, you are going to seal your wallet in the scroll and release it," Jiraiya explained.

Naruto nodded a sign to show he was following. "And if the seal isn't done properly?"

Jiraiya smirked. "You're quick, I'll give you that. If the seal isn't done properly, your purse is gone. Forever."

"Why, what'll happen to it?" a hint of fear was present in the young Jinchūiki's voice a

"Anything can happen to it, that's why I want you to always listen when I talk about rules and regulations of the art," the older man grumbled. "So are you still willing to go through with this?"

Naruto removed his gaze from the Gama Sennin, focusing it on his seal. There wasn't anything wrong with it, as far as he was concerned; hell it was virtually a carbon copy of the one Jiraiya did the other day. But why was this hentai so sure that it was wrong…

Then it hit him. Jiraiya was trying to plant a seed of doubt in his mind. It would've succeeded if Naruto's photographic memory wasn't as vivid as if the said object was right in front of him.

With a renewed sense of resolve, Naruto grinned defiantly at Jiraiya. "I sure am Ero-sennin!"

"Even though there are risks?"

"Hai!"

_Alright, time for the gamebreaker._ Jiraiya levelled Naruto's steely gaze with one of his own, making the boy involuntarily shudder. Well he wasn't one of the Densetsu no Sannin for no reason. "Naruto, if the sealing goes wrong, I won't teach you anymore."

The man smirked inwardly as he watched the blonde's visage change from that of pure determination into that of shock and disbelief. However, it would be a short-lived victory.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the Gama Sennin. "You think I care about that? I know the sealing is gonna work, and even if it doesn't, I'll just learn Fūinjutsu by myself and still master it. So stop wasting my time and do the sealing!"

This time, Jiraiya's smirk reached his features as he watched his godson with pride. _Well, it seems like we've got __**another**__ gutsy ninja in Konoha_

Without another word, Jiraiya threw the purse to Naruto, who caught it absentmindedly. The blond placed Gama-chan in the middle of the circular space that was surrounded by the various matrixes of the seal.

_Here goes nothing,_ he thought, before channelling chakra into the seal. The drawn characters lit up for a brief moment along with the purse, before the purse disappeared in a burst of smoke.

Naruto watched in anticipation as the smoke cleared to see the previously empty circle have the kanji for purse written in it.

"YATTA!" Naruto jumped on his feet, a toothy grin on his visage and arms raised in triumph. "Ne, ne Ero-sennin, did ya see that? I told ya the seal was all good but no~o, you were being a miserable geezer saying 'how much are you willing to bet' and 'alrighty th-'"

"Naruto," Jiraiya stopped the blonde from his over exaggerated impersonation of the Gama-sennin with a raise of his palm. "You haven't finished the exercise yet."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at Jiraiya before glancing at the scroll. With a silent 'oh', he gave a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his head. He settled down into a seiza position, placed his right into a half-ram seal and released his purse from the seal.

With a curt nod, Jiraiya got up from his seiza position. "I'm impressed with you Naruto. You made a fully functioning seal on your first try, which is no small feat, and also you didn't allow the seed of doubt I planted in your mind to grow. That is something all ninja's should be able to do."

A small blush appeared on Naruto's face as he chuckled slightly. "Arigatō Ero-sennin."

Jiraiya ignored the jibe and instead gave a small smile. "I've got a gift for you," he said as he reached into his kimono shirt. "Keep it safe gaki, it's the original and only copy in existence."

He produced a medium sized book and tossed it to Naruto. Naruto caught it and examined the book. It was quite thick with about three to four hundred pages and bound together by an orange hardcover. The blonde read its title.

_An Introduction to Fūinjutsu_

_By Uzumaki Yasuo _

Naruto immediately browsed to the first few pages which were blank, before one caught his eye.

_To my beautiful daughter Mito, wishing you a happy and prosperous marriage._

Naruto frowned slightly. If this was the only copy in existence, then just how old was this book? It didn't even look a day old!

"How is that even possible?" he murmured while giving the book a thorough inspection.

"Look on the inside of the back cover," Jiraiya contributed.

Naruto flipped the book over, opening the back cover to be greeted by a mind-blowing seal that seemed to pulsate.

The seal was rather simple. The Uzumaki crest in the middle with a ring of symbols around it. At four points on the ring, a single line of calligraphy lead to the edge of the cover. There was chakra that flowed from the end of the spiral in the crest to all of the seal like a river.

"What is this?" Naruto asked, looking at his mentor with hopeful eyes.

"That is a stasis seal of the highest calibre," Jiraiya began, adopting his 'thinking stance' as he prepared for a lengthy explanation. "That seal is linked to every single page and letter in this book by an invisible chakra link. The chakra… 'purifies' it, for lack of a better word. It removes any sort of acid or unwanted substance by breaking it down into chakra molecules.

"As you know, paper comes from trees and yellows in time. The paper is still in perfect condition due to the chakra conversion matrix in the seal. It converts a small percentage of the chakra into water molecules to keep the paper hydrated.

"Why won't the chakra run out? You may ask. Now all around us, there is chakra. In the air, in the grass, the trees, ground, you name it. However, the chakra usually exists as natural energy. But, by blending it with normal chakra, you can create senjutsu chakra, a different form of chakra, but chakra non-the-less.

"The Uzumaki crest leaks out a small portion of chakra into the air to create this senjutsu chakra and then absorbs it, before converting it into normal chakra, thus providing a constant stream of chakra that shall never end."

Jiraiya looked at his apprentice to see if he was able to keep up and almost facepalmed when he saw Naruto staring at him blankly.

"Just my luck, now I have to simplify it down, _drastically_," the Gama-sennin grumbled.

"Oi! What's with the drastically part?" Naruto yelled. "You callin' me a baka?"

_Yes_ "No."

"Tch, thought so," Naruto sighed and browsed through the book. "I got what you were saying, well up to the bit when you started talking about natural energy and senjutsu chakra."

Jiraiya sent a silent thank you to every deity and brothel matriarchs he could name. He would've hated to explain everything again. He then remembered a rather urgent event he had to conduct, causing a lecherous grin to appear without warning.

"Alright gaki," he began. "I've done my part in your training, all you have to do now is read that book and you'll be an Fūinjutsu prodigy in no time. Now I've got a rather important piece of… _research, _yeah_ research_ to carry out. Ja ne!" and with that, the Ero-sennin disappeared in a swirl of leaves before his apprentice could protest.

Naruto grumbled and muttered all sorts of nonsense with a scowl etched on his young features. He rolled up the storage seal and got to his feet. He was going to make his way home, but then again, what's the point of going home to a stuffy apartment when you could stay outside with the cool breeze.

Without a second thought, Naruto walked to a tree, settling at the base in the shade from the sun and began to read…

* * *

><p>If you were planning to go through a desert, there are certain requirements that must be met. A constant supply of water is first and foremost. Light clothing is another so that you won't be dehydrated at a rapid pace due to sweat and also to prevent sunburns. Warm clothing is also needed however due to the insanely cold climate during the night. All in all, a large amount of precarious planning is needed before you go through a desert.<p>

There has and never been a time where any responsible person will advise another to travel through a sandstorm simply because you'll get lost. You visibility is greatly reduced, sand gets in your eyes, ears, nose, food, you name it. Compasses won't work either for some exceedingly weird reason.

Now that is in a normal desert. In Kaze no Kuni, the deserts are much worst with an average daily temperature of forty-five degrees Celsius, an average night time temperature of minus ten degrees, and regular spells of sandstorms. The thing about these sandstorms is that in other deserts, you are simply lost. Kaze no Kuni's sandstorms seem to lead you to quicksand pits that populate the desert. That is without mentioning the less than average amount of oases in the desert.

All in all, Kaze no Kuni have its own 'natural defense system' for Sunagakure no Sato in the surrounding desert. Even though the other major villages have their own like Kumo's various mountain ranges and thunderstorms, Iwa's Gan'u, Konoha's forestry and Kiri's water bodies, Suna's one is by far, the toughest to bypass.

However, ninja's and trade caravans seem to find a way to bypass this defense mechanism. If they couldn't… well let's just say that the desert won't be protecting anything, a hindrance in other words. But even then, ninja's and caravans knew their limits; they won't travel during a sandstorm, even if there is an urgent need to cross the desert.

So when one of Sunagakure's ANBU teams that were on patrol duty saw a single figure making their way through the desert, and a sandstorm no less, they were put on alert. There was no notice for the arrival of any visiting ninja, and merchants usually travel in caravans, so this person could mean trouble.

"Kyameru."

"Hai taicho," an ANBU operative with short bronze hair and a roadrunner mask appeared before the ANBU captain with a Shunshin.

"Take Hagetaka and intercept this individual, find out their intentions. I trust your judgement regarding your actions in response to their answer," the captain ordered.

"Hai taicho," the ANBU disappeared this time with a Shunshin.

As his underling left, the captain crouched down so she sat on his haunches as she prepared to watch the scene unfold. Years of experience told her she should outright deny this person entrance into her home. However, protocol called for decisions to be made by solid factors, not hunches alone.

Still, she couldn't shake off the foreboding sense of danger…

He was in a reasonably good mood despite the fact his hair was laden with an absurd amount of sand. Despite the fact that he was caught in a sandstorm, his spirits didn't waver. So now, as the Sunagakure ANBU appeared before him, he decided he was going to be extra polite to them.

"Ohayo," he greeted with a wide grin that the ANBU were just about to make out from the shadow the man's hood casted over his features.

They both gave a small nod, before the ANBU with a roadrunner mask spoke up. From his build, you could tell he was a male.

"May we know why you have decided to visit Sunagakure?"

"Ah," the man began. "I've come to visit an old friend."

"Do you have your papers?" the second ANBU asked. She had a vulture mask, and long white hair, which was braided.

"Since when did you need to provide papers?" curiosity was clearly evident in the man's voice.

"New policy," the female ANBU replied with the standard emotionless tone.

Here, the man gave a small frown which was hidden by his oversized hood. The ANBU were being pests for no apparent reason. However, his upbeat mood restrained him from outright slaughtering the operatives.

"I don't have any papers with me unfortunately," he said, his jovial mood back in full swing.

"Well _unfortunately_, we are going to have to deny you access into Sunagakure," Roadrunner retorted.

"Come on guys," he pleaded. "It is imperative that I get into Suna."

"Why? What is so important that you cannot return back to wherever you came from and get the necessary papers?"

"It's not _what_ is important; it's who I'm visiting that is important."

"Well who are you visiting?"

"The Kazekage."

Pause.

"Do you honestly expect us to believe that?" Vulture asked.

"It will be nice if you did," the man answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Sir, I believe it will be in both yours and our best interest if you just leave now," Roadrunner stated.

"Look, just hear me out. Why don't one of you, go to the Kazekage, and ask him if he is expecting someone, explain the situation to him. Or you could call another ANBU to relay the message. You could also use a summon if that suits you," he proposed.

Both ANBU's glanced at each other, communicating without words. Roadrunner flared his chakra in two small bursts and barely a second later, the team captain appeared by his side.

"Taicho, this man here claims to have been granted an audience with Kazekage-sama, I was thinking if you could find out if this is true," roadrunner reported.

"Hai," she said, then turning to the man, "what is your name?"

"Ah, you can call me Genshu ANBU-san," Genshu answered.

Without another word, the ANBU squad captain disappeared in a gust of sand, leaving her two underlings and Genshu alone again.

* * *

><p>*Knock knock*<p>

"Enter."

The single command was answered and the door opened to reveal a Jackal masked ANBU, followed by a figure that was wrapped in a dark purple hooded cloak. They both entered the room and stopped before the desk.

"Kazekage-sama, I have bought your guest as you have instructed me to," the ANBU said with a bow.

"Yes, I can clearly see that," the Kazekage replied with clear annoyance. "Now leave us."

A curt nod later, Jackal vanished from the office, leaving no evidence behind that could suggest she was there.

"Yare, yare Yondaime-kun," Genshu said. "Must you be harsh on your security? After all, they're only doing their job."

"I do not have time for petty tools like them," the Yondaime spat. "Now, do you have everything ready? And take off that ridiculous cloak, it's scorching in here."

Genshu began to take off his cloak. "Straight to business like always, I swear it's going to be the death of you." Once the cloak was off, the Kazekage took in the appearance of the man before him. He was in his mid 30s, with waist length black hair and clipped eyebrows. He was also wearing a purple yukata and black sandals. His yukata had a black tomoe pattern all over it. "So what's the rush?"

The Yondaime's black pupils locked with Genshu's amber ones. "He is getting less stable by the minute. Even though I can stop him, other shinobi can't… the lack of able ninja is drastically affecting our economy due to the lack of attempted missions, and then who knows… maybe Iwa or Konoha will use that as an opportunity to expand their land."

"Well, I've got good news for you," Genshu said while taking a seat. "The seal is ready, know all that is left is a matter of payment."

"How sure are you that the seal works?" the Yondaime asked with a hint of skeptism.

"Do you doubt my abilities?" The Kazekage shook his head. "Then have faith that all will be well."

The two men engaged in a staring constest which seemed to go on for minutes before the Yondaime yielded. With a small, inaudible sigh, he reached into the top drawer of his desk and retrieved a small scroll. He opened it up on his desk, revealing a storage scroll then placed one hand above it while the other went into a half-ram position.

"Kai!"

A burst of smoke later and a silver briefcase was present on the scroll. The Kazekage opened it up and turned it to the other occupant of the office.

"Here, a hundred million ryō as per our agreement," he stated.

Genshu took the briefcase from the desk to place it upon his lap. He took out a single stack of ryō notes, inspecting every corner of it.

"What, is my money not good enough for you? Or did you think I'll try to dupe you?" the Kazekage asked.

"Even if you did try to dupe me, I will understand," he muttered. "I mean your village is in poverty."

"Geez don't hold back will you."

"That's why I didn't say 'no offence'" Genshu replied with a smirk playing on his lips. "But anyway, let's get going, I'm sure Gaara-kun is an impatient fellow."

* * *

><p>"Ero-sennin!... Ero-sennin!... where the hell is this pervert?" a very disgruntled Naruto muttered to himself.<p>

The young blonde was looking all over for his –unbeknownst to him- godfather. He had tried every food joint and shop he could think of, before he realised what he was calling the man. Ero-sennin – perverted hermit. If he was a pervert, where would he be?

So Naruto made his way to the hot springs and began searching for Jiraiya just outside of the women's section. However, this man was not considered a ninja of great expertise, his ability in stealth even exceeded Naruto's when he pulled a prank. However, Jiraiya had one flaw.

Giggling.

Naruto began to move towards the girly-like noise, and before long, he saw a telescope protruding out of a shrubbery. Silently, he crept up on the man, like a predator stalking his prey. Once he was directly behind him, he placed himself so that his man was directly next to the sage's ear.

"ERO-SENNIN!"

"AARRGGHHH! SHHHH gaki!," JIraiya hushed the blonde down while glaring at him. "Can't you see that I'm doing some vital research here?"

Naruto blinked. "Research?"

"Yes, _research_," he stressed. "Now either join me or play with yourself in some corner."

His curiosity having got the best of him, decided to stay with the older man and join his 'research'. He looked in the direction that Jiraiya's telescope was pointed in, and felt the blood rise into his face.

There was only one woman that was currently occupying the hot spring. She had long purple hair, and very large busts. She was currently sitting with her back on the rock, her eyes closed in relaxation.

While Jiraiya was busy writhing notes on his notepad, Naruto noticed something on the neck of the woman. It was shaped as three black tomoes in a circular pattern. Naruto could have just dismissed it as a tattoo, but there was something about that seemed to draw him to it. It was like it gave off and radiated energy.

_Is that a seal?_

Naruto was about to ask Jiraiya about it, but his attention was drawn to another woman who entered the onsen. She had shoulder length, wavy black hair and crimson red eyes. Along with that, she had a perfect hour-glass figure that would make any woman green with envy.

"Hot damn…"

Naruto nodded slowly, completely agreeing with the older man. He tried to take his eyes off her, but he found out he couldn't. Jiraiya gave a shrill wolf whistle.

Big mistake.

Immediately, the woman's crimson pupils came in contact with Naruto's cerulean, causing the boy to freeze with shock. Suddenly, she disappeared from his view, and the boy took the opportunity to try and get away. He looked to his left to see if Jiraiya had the same idea's, only to see an empty space.

_Son of a-_

He jumped out of the bush, landing awkwardly and twisting his ankle.

"Crap."

The woman now appeared in front of the seated boy. Naruto stopped nursing his ankle, and took in the sight. There she was, stood in her full naked glory, the water still dripping from her skin and glaring daggers at him. If looks could kill, Naruto would have been dead twice over.

While Naruto was fighting back both a nosebleed –albeit unsuccessfully- and the urge to ogle her body, the woman decided to address him.

"And what, pray tell, are you doing?" she asked with a stern tone, one hand on her waist.

"E-er… t-th-that's a g-good question," Naruto stammered, crawling back slightly. "Y-you see, I was looking for my s-se-sensei-"

"Your sensei?"

"H-hai."

"Aren't you a bit young to have a sensei?" she asked with a much lighter tone, due to Naruto's obvious regret.

"That's, the thing, I'm an apprentice," he answered.

"And who is this sensei of yours?"

"Er- Jiraiya of the Densetsu no Sannin, Miss," he replied, covering up his blunder.

Kurenai bristled at his answer. While Jiraiya-sama was a much respected and decorated shinobi in his own right, his perverted tendencies were common knowledge between the female population of Konoha. After all, you don't receive the nickname 'Sato no Kyōki' for no reason, do you?

"Ooh, what've you got here 'Nai-chan?" a sultry voice broke Kurenai of her reverie.

She observed the scene before her with an amused expression. Anko's arms were currently wrapped around Naruto's neck from behind, her breast firmly pressed on his back, and her chin resting on his shoulder. Said boy was staring right back at her with eyes as big as saucers. He gave an audible gulp, before his nostrils ejected a stream of blood, and knocking the boy out.

"Aw, isn't he adorable?" Anko asked while rubbing her cheek on the unconscious blonde's own.

Kurenai gave a small sigh and shook her head. "Come on, let's get this boy to the hospital."

* * *

><p>"Mifune-sama, we need to pull back now, our samurai are being overrun!"<p>

"Shit, this isn't good… order the troops to pull back and get me a messenger bird… we need to send a request for help."

"Who do you have in mind sir?"

"Send it to my dear friend, Sarutobi Hiruzen."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Authors Note: <strong>_

Well, I've got to admit, I'm really impressed with the amount of reviews, alerts and hits this story has generated. I'm glad people have enjoyed it. All I can say is thanks. I sort of rushed to do this chapter, 'cause I wanted to get it out by Christmas as my gift to you.

This is the beginning of a new arc- well two new arcs- but they will be playing a vital part in Naruto's growth. There is no move list today, for obvious reasons, BUT, there is a glossary! XD

_**Glossary:**_

_**Shūmatsu no Tani **_– Valley of the End

_**Okojo**_ – Short-tailed weasel

_**Densetsu no Sannin **_– Legendary three ninja's

_**Ryō**_ – the currency used in the Naruto universe. Has a rate of 10 ryō to one Yen

_**Kaze**_ – Wind

_**Kaze no Kuni**_ – Land of Wind

_**Kumo**_ – Cloud

_**Iwa**_ – Rock

_**Konoha**_ – Leaf

_**Kiri**_ – Mist

_**Gan'u**_ – Rock rain

_**Kyameru**_ – Road runner

_**Hagetaka**_ – Vulture

_**Kazekage**_ – Wind shadow

_**Genshu**_ – Ruler; Sovereign

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. God Bless.

Ja ne!


	3. Inception: Chapter 2

_**Chapter 3**_

"Ohayō Koharu, Homura, Danzō, I'm glad you could make it today," Sarutobi Hiruzen greeted his advisors as he entered into the spacious council room.

"You should know by now that I won't miss these meetings for the world," Danzō replied. Obviously Hiruzen knew the old war hawk used these meetings to try and gain more assets for his 'Ne' forces.

The remaining members of the council gave the Sandaime a curt nod as he took a seat at the wooden table. On the table were four copies of various reports, such as funding, trade assets, healthcare, infrastructure maintenance and crime.

They discussed each topic thoroughly, each giving their opinion in the matter, and before long, the meeting neared the end.

"The number of shinobi on active duty has almost reached its level prior to the Kyūbi attack, about ten percent away, to be precise," Homura stated as he read from the report.

"That is good news without a doubt," Hiruzen said. "At least now we can sleep easier without the threat of an invasion hanging over our heads."

The others nodded and gave murmurs of agreement. It was then that Danzō made his move.

"On the topic of the Kyūbi," he began. "It has come to my understanding that its vessel is under the apprenticeship of Jiraiya."

"Yes, what of it?" Hiruzen asked with a small frown, not liking where this conversation was going.

"Well I believe it would be wise to stop all form of training now," Danzō said.

"And why, pray tell, should I even consider doing that?" Hiruzen asked. Was this man going senile already?

"You see, Jiraiya has his spy network, which needs his constant attention, and so requires him to spend a large amount of his time outside of the village. For obvious reasons, we cannot allow the Jinchūriki outside of the village, meaning that he cannot journey with Jiraiya. This could cause the Jinchūriki to become grief-stricken over the loss of a bond that he may deem precious, and in turn, affect his state of mind.

"Along with that, Jiraiya's… habits, should I say, is a bad influence on the Jinchūriki, and on anyone else for that matter. Peeping on women as they bathe and writing… smut, for the lack of a better word, is hardly the sort of qualities a mentor should possess if they wish to guide the next generation.

"And what do you suggest I should do, oh enlightened one?" Hiruzen asked sarcastically. _Here it comes again…_

Ignoring the barb, Danzō continued with a devious smirk. "Give the Jinchūriki to me Hiruzen, let me mold him into the perfect weapon for Konoha. He has limitless potential, more than Itachi ever had, and I daresay, even more than the Yondaime. And that is just without taking the Kyūbi into consideration.

"It's not every day you have the opportunity to control the mightiest of Bijū, albeit through a medium. Under my 'Ne' program, I could tame the beast and make sure the disaster of 8 years past does not occur again."

"I have to admit Danzō, your interest in the male species intrigue me," Hiruzen commented.

Danzō's smirk was gone and was replaced with a small frown, which was hard to notice since he was always frowning. "I don't like what you're insinuating," he replied with a sneer.

"Why I'm merely stating the truth," Hiruzen replied, trying his damn hardest to keep a straight face. "I mean, there are many quality kunoichi who have been called prodigies such as Uzuki Yūgao and Yūhi Kurenai , even the late Uchiha Mikoto was said to have better kenjutsu skills than the Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū, and yet you didn't see any need to recruit them as part of your 'Ne' army. Mind telling us why and I'm sure Koharu here would love to know just _why_ you have ignored the fairer sex."

"Yes," Koharu said. "Why?"

Danzō's frown deepened into a glare as he realised he was being cornered. His reasons were his own and he did not need to explain himself to a bunch of fools who did not understand the importance of the physical aspects of shinobi.

"To others, maybe, but I do not believe these claims which are clearly overexaggerrated," Danzō said. "Genius? Please! If this Uzuki and Yūhi were so-called geniuses, then both will be leading ANBU squads of their own by now, just like Itachi was, not stuck at Chūnin.

"While the Uchiha was a good swordswoman in her own right, putting her in the same class as the Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū is a grave insult to them. If it were not for the fact that the women of the Uchiha are unable to awaken the Sharingan, then maybe I would reconsider my verdict. Now I believe we have gotten off topic here."

The former Team Tobirama could just stare at the old war hawk as he gave his speech. Homura's respect for the man could only drop so low, and he was sure the others felt the same way. Even Jiraiya had more respect for women than Danzō, and that's saying something.

Hiruzen was the first to recover. "Yes you're right," he turned to the only female present in the room. "Gomenkudasai Koharu, I didn't mean to subject you to Danzō's… unique views." _At least now I know __**why**__ Natsuki-chan refused to call him a man after she spent a night at his place._

"You apology has been accepted," Koharu replied.

"Now Danzō, putting your sexuality aside," Danzō visibly bristled at this point. "I will not be giving you Naruto-kun so that you may do whatever you want to do with him."

"No Hiruzen you do not understand," Danzō interrupted. "I can provide him with a family in the form of my 'Ne' operatives who will always be there for him whenever he needs them, not losing blood over the mere sight of women purifying themselves. Along with that, I can grant him access to a vast amount of information of the shinobi arts through my library and again, through my 'Ne' operatives. It is imperative that you give me the Jinchūriki immediately Hiruzen."

Hiruzen sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He was getting too old for this job.

"Listen Danzō," he began. "First of all, the Jinchūriki has a name. He is called Naruto, and you will refer to him as such. Having a Bijū sealed into you doesn't make you less of a human that the rest of us. Minato knew that, and that is why he didn't care what people thought when he married Kushina.

"Next, one reason why I will not be giving you permission to make Naruto into your puppet, is because he deserves a normal life, not a sparse one like that of your 'Ne' soldiers. Jiraiya, despite his faults, can provide him with that, being a mentor and a father figure in his life. Even though he won't be around all the time, Naruto-kun knows this and doesn't mind.

"You say you can provide Naruto-kun with materials to aid his growth, and while I can agree with that, it won't benefit him in the long run. Naruto-kun needs someone who he can talk to every now and then, someone who understands him, someone with emotions.

"Now Jiraiya is someone who can bring out his full potential. He has done it before with the Yondaime, proving to those arrogant Hyūga and Uchiha alike that you do not have to be from a clan in order to be a splendid ninja."

"Hold on a moment Hiruzen," Homura said. "I was always under the assumption that the Namikaze's were a clan?"

"That was a stupid rumour created by the Hyūga elders in order to soften the blow of 'yielding to the authority of a lowly commoner,'" Hiruzen clarified. "No, the Namikaze's were always a simple family. Their ancestors used to be ninja's, albeit splendid ones, but eventually became merchants. Minato was an only child, but soon became an orphan when he was nine. His parents were murdered in cold blood by some Iwa shinobi while they were on their way to Kumo. In fact, the whole trade caravan was killed with the exception of one Yamanka Yanagi who managed to outsmart her pursuers and make it back to Konoha and report the incident."

"Yamanaka Yanagi… isn't that Inoichi's wife?" Koharu pondered.

"The very same, but back to business. Danzō, not only can Jiraiya bring out Naruto-kun's latent potential, but he is also his godfather, so if there is anyone who reserves the right to do anything with the boy, it is my former student. So now, I do not want to hear anything about making Naruto-kun into a mere _tool_ for your conniving goals. It will not make Konoha any better in the long run." Hiruzen stood up from the table, straightening out his robes. "Now if you don't mind, I have other duties to attend to, such as running the village. Itterasshai," and with a small wave, Hiruzen made his way towards the exit.

Danzō was seething internally as he glared at the Sandaime's retreating form. How dare he! How could that man seriously think that the Jinchūriki would turn out well under the tutelage of that… that… pervert! The future glory of Konoha would be long out of his reach at this rate. And how dare Hiruzen for comparing his interest in the Jinchūriki with his freak of a student's fetish with boys!

If Hiruzen felt the burning gaze on his back, he simply ignored it and exited the room without saying anything. His assistant flanked him as soon as he took a step outside of the council chambers.

Matsumoto Hiyori was an attractive green eyed brunette in her mid-twenties. She was the youngest ever ANBU retiree, leaving said organisation because of a conflict of beliefs and values. The Hokage gave Hiyori the job as his assistant due to her office and combat skills. Her hourglass figure was an added bonus.

"Hokage-sama, we have received a messenger bird from Tetsu no Kuni," Hiyori said.

Hiruzen frowned slightly. "Tetsu?"

"Hai, it came in during the early hours of the morning, oh-three hundred and forty eight hours to be precise."

Hiruzen gave a perceptible nod which his secretary caught in her peripheral vision. "What did it say?"

It is usually considered a security breach to read messages addressed to the Hokage directly. This came with severe punishments, such as a one way trip to the ANBU Torture and Interrogation cells, where they'll lose different parts of their anatomy every time they refuse to confess. However, due to her status as an ex-ANBU operative, Hiruzen trusted Hiyori enough to give her special privilages.

"They have requested for aid from Konoha. The letter didn't say much, but apparently, Tetsu is experiencing a coup d'état, and have requested for a small team of five A-rank ninja's at most so that there'll be no unnecessary attention," Hiyori said.

Hiruzen's countenance darkened as soon as he heard 'coup d'état'. It bought back suppressed and regretful memories that filled him up with grief and guilt. He didn't want the massacre to occur, but the council decided it 'is better to be safe than sorry'.

With a small shake of his head to dispel any lingering thoughts, Hiruzen realised he was already at his office. He walked in followed closely by his assistant, who gave him the message scroll. His eyes scanned over it as he walked over to his seat. Sitting down, he began to wonder how Naruto was doing.

* * *

><p>"Achoo!"<p>

A certain blonde Jinchūriki sneezed for what was the umpteenth time in a span of thirty minutes. He rubbed his nose in frustration as he navigated through the market square swiftly, making sure to avoid eye contact with anyone. He didn't need the hassle, especially with the weird start of the day he had.

Naruto woke up at around quarter to nine, took a quick shower and breakfast of chicken flavoured instant ramen. He then packed a backpack full of Fūinjutsu supplies such as blank sheets of paper; various ink vials and a couple of brushes.

He then began to make his way to the training grounds so he could continue with his self-taught Fūinjutsu lessons. The blonde was especially excited about this one. He was going to start making his own explosive notes, since he had mastered the concepts of the Generic Sealing Technique.

It was then that his mysterious cold began to strike, along with a feeling of dread and a foreboding sense of fear. It was like someone wanted to do unheard and atrocious acts to him.

But then Naruto's day became from weird to agonizing. _He_ showed up. He dared to show his stupid face with that god-awful 'lady killer' grin. And then, to make matters worse, he had the _cheek_ to ask for forgiveness.

_-Flashback-_

"Nope not this time Ero-sennin," Naruto said, folding his arms across his chest, levelling the man with a glare.

"B-but why?"

Naruto scowled at the older man. How dare he! One of the Densetsu no Sannin or not, _nobody_ betrays Uzumaki Naruto and gets away with it.

With an audible 'hmph!' Naruto walked past the man and continued to his destination undeterred.

_-Present-_

What Naruto didn't expect was for the man to follow him. He expected the Gama sennin to have gone off to one of his 'research spots' as soon as he made it clear that he won't be forgiving the older man any time soon.

Jiraiya for his part wasn't oblivious to all the glares and hateful looks sent his godson's way as he followed the boy. He couldn't believe that these were the people that Minato had in mind when he saved Konoha from the Kyūbi. He watched as Naruto navigated the crowds with his head down, looking like he was the epitome of defeated individuals. No one should have that look, especially not a child. Not in Konoha, which was known as a haven of peace and equality in all the other elemental countries apart from Tsuchi no Kuni.

So he took it upon himself to make sure that whenever someone looked at Naruto wrong, they'll never find the resolve to do it again. He unleashed a full dose of concentrated killing intent at every individual who committed the crime, causing each and every one of them to wet themselves and bringing a great deal of embarrassment onto them. Hell they were even lucky to still be conscious.

Eventually the pair reached the training fields and Naruto finally removed his gaze from the ground and his sandaled feet. The sight of this caused Jiraiya to feel a large amount of hatred for his former sensei. What was he thinking when he made Naruto's status as the Kyūbi Jinchūriki public knowledge. Hell what was he even smoking? No one, not even the 'fair citizens of Konohagakure no Sato' were perfect. It was human nature to find someone or something to blame when they lose something close to their heart, Hiruzen should know this; he was the goddamn PROFESSOR for Kami's sake.

Jiraiya stopped his musings, calming himself down as he watched his godson work. It was a source of pride to know that Naruto was continuing the Uzumaki legacy, while being under his own tutelage. Jiraiya could already see the boy going places.

The Gama Sennin made his way over to the blonde, who was so absorbed in his work, he didn't even look up to see who was blocking his light. Either that or the boy was simply ignoring his presence.

It seemed that Naruto was now working on explosive tags, meaning he had already mastered the concepts of the Generic Sealing Technique, which was essential for a sealmaker, since explosive tags were basically a minor Bakuton jutsu contained in a seal, ready to be released.

"Hey Naruto," Jiraiya called.

No answer.

"Aww come on," Jiraiya whined, stretching out the o in 'on'. "It's not like you were attacked!"

Jiraiya suppressed a flinch as Naruto gave him a sharp glare. The white haired man swore those blue eyes turned red for a second. Naruto returned back to his work, while Jiraiya released a breath he never knew he was holding.

_Whoops touched a nerve didn't I? Note to self, stop hanging out with Genma._

"Gomen…" Jiraiya quickly said. Nothing was said from the man as he listened to the birds tweeting, sending messages to each other from their respective nests. It was a good day for a family outing, if Naruto would talk to him that is. Before he knew it, Jiraiya found himself regretting his decision of leaving Konoha for an extensive period of time. A cool morning breeze snapped him out of his reverie, returning his attention back to the blonde. "Errm, your timing arrays are wrong…" he pointed out.

"ARGH! WILL YOU SHUT UP?" Naruto snapped, returning his angry gaze back to the man, who in turn looked like a child who was caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

Naruto began to mutter incoherent words about perverted smart-asses who think they are great because of their titles while he returned to his work.

_Hold on… the Ero-baka is actually right… damn… if he didn't point out the fuse, I would've blown off my hand…_ Naruto let out a small growl as he crumpled up the failed explosive tag.

The blonde reached into his backpack and withdrew a new sheet of paper, disregarding his company, and completely missing how the Gama Sennin's expression changed from sheepish into a small smile.

_Well at least he's talking to me again_ Jiraiya thought_. It would be terrible if we had a fallout over a small mater that is bound to happen again… the seeds have been sown ku ku ku._ The small smile began to morph into a lecherous grin.

"Why?" the sudden question brought Jiraiya back down to earth.

"Hm?"

"Why did you leave me behind?" Naruto asked, giving Jiraiya his full attention.

There are rarely times where Jiraiya has been lost for words. The first was when Tsunade caught him peeping on her in the hot springs, second was after Shanshōuo no Hanzō single handily defeated his team, third was when he received the news from Gerotora that the seal on Kushina had broken and Minato had died while using the Shiki Fūjin to reseal the Kyūbi, this time into his newborn son.

So while Naruto stared up at him with those Minato-esque cerulean eyes, the Gama Sennin couldn't help but be painfully reminded of his now deceased former student. That very moment, he resolved never to let his current student down and help him in every way possible. Hearing a bird caw, Jiraiya immediately got the message.

"Well?" Naruto reiterated.

"I'm sorry Naruto." Said boy's eyes momentarily widened. First, Ero-sennin called him by his name, which was as likely as Jiraiya giving up his 'research' time, and then he apologised? What was this world coming to? Next, Jiji will be telling him that he was the Yondaime's son_. Actually that wouldn't be so bad…_

"Errm Ero-sennin," Naruto said. "Are you okay? Are you due to read some smut or something? 'cause I will totally understa-"

"Dammit Gaki!" Jiraiya sighed exasperatedly. "I try to be nice and _that_ is the thanks I get? Well guess what? The gallant Jiraiya-sama has the last say in anything and everything! I take back that apology and replace it with this: I left you behind because that is the way of the super perverts, look out for yourself only!" and to finish off his rant in style, Jiraiya added his Kabuki pose at the end.

Naruto could only gape for a few seconds before realising that he must look like an idiot to any nearby onlookers.

"Well, I'm gonna pretend that you didn't just insult me indirectly and I'm happy that you're back from your 'normal' period back then," Naruto responded smugly.

The blonde then got up from his seated position, explosive tag in hand, and made his way over to a medium sized gray rock. He slapped the tag down and quickly ran back to his former pot.

A half ram seal later, Naruto made a single command. "Katsu."

The rock blew up into smithereens with a large bang, various sized pieces of debris flying everywhere. The explosion also created a small crater, causing Naruto to nod his head in appreciation.

"Whew," Jiraiya whistled. "That was some explosive tag, how did you make it?"

Naruto face faulted at this point.

Jiraiya let out a hearty laugh. "Relax gaki, anyway pack your stuff up and meet me by the North gate in thirty minutes with several changes of clothes and supplies," he ordered and began to walk away.

"Why?" his godson called after him.

"Because," Jiraiya turned around, now walking backwards. "We've got a mission also, pack for the cold."

"A mission?" Naruto muttered to himself. "Pfft you've got to try waaay better than that Ero-sennin." Naruto began packing away his stuff anyway before the realisation dawned on him. "I've got a mission… a mission! And I'm not even nine yet… WHOOP! I'VE GOT A MISSION!"

And so the blonde proceeded to give himself a case of severe dizziness due to his joy and running in circles for a good twenty minutes.

* * *

><p>Naruto arrived at the North gate three minutes late and huffing and puffing. It took him all of his already impressive speed and stamina to run home, pack all of his stuff, and then make his way over to the gate in a record thirteen minutes.<p>

He walked up to Ero-sennin who was talking to a man who had short brown hair, a hitai-ite that framed his face much like the Nidaime's, and the creepiest eyes the blonde had ever seen. Along with them, but not actually taking part in the conversation was another man with brown hair that poked out from beneath his bandana style hitai-ite. He also had a katana strapped onto his back. Both men had the standard issue Konoha shinobi uniform.

"Oh look the gaki has arrived, now we can finally leave," Jiraiya muttered. He began to walk ahead with the other men and Naruto following colsesly behind. "Anyway, I believe some introductions are in order, so guys this is ga- I mean Naruto, but you should know that already. Gaki, this is Gekkō Hayate," the man with the bandana gave a curt nod, which the blonde returned with one of his own. "And… what's your name again?"

"Yamato, Jiraiya-sama. Just Yamato," Yamato answered, peeved that the white haired man managed to forget his name in just a few moments.

"Nice to meet you Yamato-niisan!" Naruto chirped.

Yamato looked shocked for a second, before regaining control of his visage. It wouldn't do for an off-duty ANBU operative to seem unprofessional.

The group walked to the guard post at the side of the gate to sign out. Once Naruto noticed who was on guard duty, he had to bite his tongue to stop him from shouting 'you!'

Of all the people, it had to be her. The first woman he had ever seen fully naked. That goddess whom Ero-sennin was so scared of (in his eyes anyway), that the white haired man abandoned him to avoid being caught.

Naruto tried to send a telepathic message to the man, who was grossly unaware of his surroundings, a fatal mistake for a shinobi of any level. Naruto was about to call out to the man, but stopped himself at the last second.

Now Naruto was by no means a spiteful person. No, he had learned to forgive and forget due to a certain lesson for Sandaime-jiji. However, he was still a prankster. A master prankster if he had anything to say in the issue. So why did he stop his hand. This was revenge of course. Now all he had to do was stay out of sight, and watch the scene unfold.

Jiraiya managed to stop himself from walking into the counter of the booth as he woke up from his daydream. He then laid his eyes on the Chūnin on duty. Once he did, one of his patented 'lady killer' grins made its way onto his face.

_Ohohoho, now what have we here… Kami, you must love me today…_

"Ohayō Jiraiya-sama," the red eyed brunette greeted.

"Ohayō," Jiraiya began. "I didn't quite catch your name miss."

"Oh gomenasai, its Yūhi Kurenai Jiraiya-sama," she answered.

"Kurenai eh? That's a beautiful name, just like you," Jiraiya said.

Now there were many men who had hit on Kurenai over the years; most of them were perverts and only wanted her for her body. This had caused Kurenai to begin to hate the majority of the male populace of Konoha. So when one of the Sannin began to hit on her, she seriously began to consider becoming a lesbian so that the pursuits would stop.

"Arigatō Jiraiya-sama," she said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "So how can I help you?"

_Time to move for the kill…_

"Oh I can think of so many ways right now," the man waggled his eyebrows at this point. "Why don't we head off to a nice place to get a bite to eat, and we can take it from there. What d'you say, smoochums?"

Kurenai's right brow twitched in annoyance at the name Jiraiya had given to her. Now how could she reject him without seeming disrespectful?

"I'm going to have to decline your invitation Jiraiya-sama because as you can see I'm still on duty."

"I'm sure you can find a temporary replacement, an angel like you shouldn't be stuck in a place like this."

_Okay this just isn't working_, Kurenai thought. She looked towards Hayate, silently pleading for help, but he seemed to be engrossed in a conversation with the other man in the group. _Traitor, watch when Yūgao hears about this._

"Listen Jiraiya-sama, I don't date perverts, especially self proclaimed super perverts," she began, going straight for the jugular. "Along with that, people who abandon their teammates or apprentices to cover their own ass are scum in my book."

Jiraiya looked shocked, all traces of flirting gone from his visage. "Y-you knew?"

The brunette sighed. "If Konoha couldn't produce first rate ninja, do you honestly think we could've won all those ninja wars? It wasn't exactly an S-rank task to pick up your chakra residue from your Shunshin no Jutsu and match it with yours."

Jiraiya openly gaped at this point, confused to why his Tōton no Jutsu had failed him. Maybe it was time for an upgrade.

"So tell me, how is Naruto-kun doing? He seems to be avoiding me nowadays," Kurenai inwardly smirked at the white haired man's jealous face. Nothing hurts more than a jealous pervert.

"Hmph, the gaki's fine," Jiraiya huffed, arms folding across his chest. "Just give me four leaver's passes, three shinobi and one child civilian."

Kurenai stamped all four passes, handing it over to Jiraiya before deciding to add a low blow.

"There you go Jiraiya-sama, I wish you and your group a safe journey," Jiraiya took the passes and began to walk away. "Oh Jiraiya-sama?"

Thinking he still had a shot at the beautiful Chūnin, Jiraiya span round eagerly. "Yes my dear?"

"If you see Naruto-kun around, tell him that I miss his presence at my side at night," Kurenai replied all too cheerfully.

Jiraiya was visibly seething now. Damn that gaki! Naruto was meant to tell him about all of his dealings with the female species.

The Gama Sennin pivoted on his heel and caught up with the group at the gate, who were all smirking at him, even that Yamato!

However the gaki was the worst of the bunch. He had the audacity to stand there with a cheesy grin that he wore when he was up to no good.

"Damn gaki," muttered Jiraiya. "Come on lets go."

The group left Konohagakure no Sato together, a new experience for Naruto.

As they walked, Jiraiya began to explain the mission.

"Alright gaki, you must be wondering where we're going right?" Naruto nodded. "We're heading to Tetsu no Kuni. They don't have shinobi as their militia, but rather they use samurai."

"Samurai?"

"Yep samurai, the best Kenjutsu specialists in the Ninja world. Not even the Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū can compare to their best, in terms of Kenjustu skills."

"So what are we gonna be doing there?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Well you see, Hayate here is an aspiring Kenjutsu user. So we're his escorts to Tetsu and back."

Naruto stared blankly at the man.

"EEHHH? Why does somebody as great as me have to escort a ninja that will soon be taking orders from me?" Naruto whined. This was an insult. This Hayate didn't even look that special.

"That is the cover story that everybody else thinks," Jiraiya began, but then got serious. "However, what I'm about to tell you must not leave this group. This is an S-ranked secret, do you understand?"

Naruto noticed all traces of the jovial Ero-sennin he was used to, was gone, and in his place was Jiraiya, the Gama Sennin of the Densetsu no Sannin, teacher of the Yondaime and S-ranked shinobi.

The blonde nodded solemnly, prompting Jiraiya to continue.

"Tetsu has been a victim of a coup d'état. One of the higher ranking samurai has rebelled and tried to take control of the country. We are going to help out one of Sarutobi-sensei's old friends, who is the Taishō of the of the samurai forces to quash the rebellion."

"So why do we have to help?" the blonde inquired.

"Nothing escapes you does it? That's a good trait for a shinobi to have." Naruto beamed at the praise. "Well basically, Tetsu requested for around five A-rank shinobi to turn the tide into their favour. I myself am an S-ranked shinobi, as is Yamato over here. Hayate is a high B-rank to low A-rank, so we fit the requirements," Jiraiya bragged.

Naruto looked incredulous before reminding himself that this _was_ the man who taught the Yondaime.

The group walked on in silence for a while before the blonde shattered it.

"Ne ne Ero-sennin," he called.

"What do you want gaki?"

"What rank am I?"

"You?"

"Yeah me."

"Why do you wanna know?"

"Just tell me dammit!" Naruto snapped

Jiraiya let out a low chuckle. "Well, as of now, you are an E-ranked shinobi, bordering D-rank."

"EEHHH? What's up with that? Are you sure you're not confusing me for yourself?" Naruto complained.

If Jiraiya was affected by that low blow to his skills, he didn't show it. "Nope, but I can guarantee that at the end of this situation, you should be a solid D-rank, which is pretty good considering your age. Anyway let's speed up, we need to meet our contact by sixteenhundred hours and we've got quite a distance to cover."

* * *

><p>The foursome entered a clearing, coming face to face with a group of three people, dressed in samurai garb. They all had dark red, metal plated samurai armour with black jumpsuits, similar to those worn by the Konoha ninja populace, underneath. They were arranged with one person, the oldest looking one, standing further ahead of the other two.<p>

The one at the focal point had long black hair which was tied into a ponytail, allowing long bangs to frame his chiselled features, and a sword strapped on the left side of his waist.

The one on the left had a high ponytailed black hair with a few strands that had escaped hanging over his forehead, and two swords strapped on each side of his waist.

The one the right had spiky brown hair, similar to the style of Senju Tobirama. The handles of his two swords were visible from either side of his waist, showing that they were strapped onto his lower back.

The man at the focal point stepped forwards.

"Jiraiya-sama, I and my brothers are honoured that you have graced us with your presence and aiding us in our time of need. I am Tokugawa Hidetada of the Tokugawa clan," Hidetada greeted and gestured to the younger men and teen besides him.

"I am Tokugawa Yoshimune," the left one said.

"Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, nice to meet you," the spiky haired teen added, eliciting an elbow to side from Yoshimune. Naruto could already tell that he would like the guy.

Jiraiya stepped forwards to introduce the group.

"These are Gekkō Hayate, Yamato and Uzumaki Naruto, my apprentice." Each person gave a small bow, or in Naruto's case, a wide grin, at the mention of their names.

"If you will permit us, let us make our way now and hopefully we'll be able to reach the border by nightfall," Hidetada asked.

"That's ok with me," Jiraiya replied.

The group left the clearing and began to make their way towards Tetsu no Kuni. As they navigated through the forest, Yamato kept watch, Hayate struck up a conversation with Yoshimune and Naruto with Tsunayoshi. Hidetada fell back, now walking alongside Jiraiya. They observed the people in front of them as the travelled in a comfortable silence.

"So what's the deal behind this coup business?" Jiraiya asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Hidetada sighed, causing Jiraiya to glance over to the man walking beside him. Even though they were around the same age, Hidetada looked as if he was around the same age as Hiruzen at that point. The stress must have been getting to him.

"Well as you know, Mifune-sama is the Taishō of the samurai forces in Tetsu. Mifune-sama is very much like Sarutobi-sama and my otōsama when it comes to their beliefs. They all prefer peace, even if it makes them lose face.

"However, Mifune-sama's second-in-command, Oda Nobunaga is a very prideful man. He is someone who will rather govern with an iron fist, everyone else be damned. Mifune-sama and Nobunaga always clash over running the forces, despite his position. Nobunaga has the loyalty of around thirty five percent of Tetsu's samurai forces, which is the reason why Mifune-sama cannot remove him from his seat of power; doing so could be very drastic.

"Now, Daimyō-sama has gone to visit Tsuki Kakeru-sama, King of Tsuki no Kuni to recuperate from his mysterious illness," Hidetada continued.

"Mysterious illness?" Jiraiya asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Yes, the doctors that were bought to Daimyō-sama's court to diagnose his health were unable to, due to a varying amount of symptoms, which include memory loss, confusion, mood swings to name a few. It was recommended that he took a break from his duties from each and every doctor," Hidetada clarified.

"Usually, we of the Tokugawa clan would accompany Daimyō-sama wherever he goes as part of Daimyō-sama's Royal Guard, but one of the doctors suggested rather forcefully that we do not, because apparently our presence would remind him of his court duties. Some members of the Daimyō's advisory board seemed to be very fond of this idea. However, that particular physician seemed rather… shady, for lack of a better term."

"Shady?"

"Yes, he would demand to know everything about Daimyō-sama such as his private life, mannerisms and all sorts. Whenever he treated Daimyō-sama, he would take a ridiculous amount of blood, something that none of the other doctors even did. He knew that it would weaken Daimyō-sama exponentially and continued to do so even though otōsama voiced his concerns."

"Why didn't you stop him?"

With a shake of his head, flaying his ponytail slightly, Hidetada proceeded to explain. "In order to do so, we need to have the consent of a member of Daimyō-sama's immediate family. Daimyō-sama's wife passed away about fifteen years ago, leaving behind their two year old twin children, Tadashi-sama and Hiromi-sama. Both of them are around the same age as Tsunayoshi-kun.

"Tadashi-sama is currently on a journey throughout the lands to gain knowledge of how things are in order to gain experience before Daimyō-sama steps down. My otōto, Ietsugu is acting as his bodyguard.

"Hiromi-sama however is a special case completely. She told Daimyō-sama of her desire to become a Kunoichi like Tsunade-sama, your teammate. As you would expect, Daimyō-sama refused to allow her to do such things, due to the danger it entail. Despite a very large amount of pleading from Hiromi-sama, he wouldn't refute from his decision. Eventually, Hiromi-sama ran away from the palace, which was about two years ago and since then, she has not been found.

"Since there was no immediate family to appeal to, otōsama had to go to the advisory board, which were running the state affairs to stop the treatment. This was also another failed attempt, since most of the board wanted to see Daimyō-sama back in full health again, no matter what it took."

"I see…" Jiraiya muttered.

"So now, since the board had told us to stay put with the exception of otōsama, who insisted to accompany Daimyō-sama, fourteen of our best troops went with him to Tsuki no Kuni.

"About four days ago, during the bi-annual inspection of the samurai forces, Nobunaga staged a coup d'état with his loyalists, killing almost about fifteen percent of Mifune-sama's forces before they were forced out of the fortress. So far, we have been engaged in minor skirmishes for the past three days."

"Do you have any idea of what this Nobunaga wants?" Jiriaya asked.

"Yes, he wants Daimyō-sama to be handed over to him, and for Mifune-sama to recognise him as the new Daimyō of Tetsu no Kuni," Hidetada answered.

Jiraiya nodded as he processed the new piece of information before something struck him as odd.

"You said that Nobunaga and his cronies managed to kill around fifteen percent of Mifune's samurai forces right?"

"Yes I did," Hidetada answered.

"Well, how is that even possible? Because sure they have the element of surprise, but if anything, sixty-five people would easily defeat thirty-five; or is it due to the quality of the samurai?"

Hidetada's expression became grim as he began to answer Jiraiya's question.

"According to our Intel, somehow, Nobunaga managed to become in control of about a hundred… beings," he said.

"Beings?" Jiraiya echoed.

"Yes. They do not fear death, if you remove an arm, they'll still carry on. A leg, they'll keep on crawling. The only way to get rid of them is through a killing blow. Anything less and you'll make things worse, since they become enraged as you incapacitate them. In fact, a more accurate name for them would be cursed soldiers."

"Why would they be cursed?"

Hidetada shuddered as he had a flashback of the creatures. "As soon as they made their appearance, the chakra in the air became foul and malicious. It would've made any inexperienced fighter either become stricken with illness, or lose consciousness completely.

"Then they would transform to creatures, monsters even. It was the sort that you would only see during the times before the Rikudō Sennin's purge of the lands.

"There was about twenty of them that day. In fact, if we did not eliminate them when we did, I believe Nobunaga would've taken control of Tetsu by now, since it was only after their deaths that we were able to turn the tide of the battle into our favour."

Jiraiya remained silent as he pondered on what he had just learned.

Cursed soldiers? Turning into monsters that resembled oni? What's next, some random fanatic with a crazy spiral mask is gonna make a group of revolutionists to resurrect the Jūbi and become its Jinchūriki? Yeah right!

But on a serious note, if twenty of those cursed soldiers could take out around fifteen percent out of sixty five percent, leaving Mifune with about fifty percent left… they must be serious business. And they don't fear death? Man that was Danzō's wet dream right there.

Jiraiya couldn't help but wonder who was behind this phenomenon. He had been hearing rumours about a man travelling through the nations, going under the alias of 'Genshu', and wondered if he was somehow connected to all the happenings of Tetsu no Kuni.

The Gama Sennin noticed the sun was beginning its descent from the sky and decided this was the best time to set up camp.

"Hey Hidetada?" he called.

"Yes Jiraiya-sama?" Hidetada answered.

"If you don't mind, I think it would be best to set up camp," Jiraiya suggested. "Besides we're near the border, and this might be the only safe point for a while."

Hidetada nodded, agreeing with the other man's reasoning. "Your wish is my command Jiraiya-sama."

Jiraiya smirked to himself. Life was good with the Tokugawa samurai. They gave him the respect he deserved, unlike a certain blonde gaki. So far, Tetsu had passed all the requirements for a potential retirement spot. Now all he needed to know is if their women were as beautiful as Konoha's.

"Okay people, going along with Jiraiya-sama's wishes, we shall rest here for tonight," Hidetada called, stopping the group from walking out of the clearing. "Tsunayoshi, please go and collect some firewood."

"Ah, that won't be necessary," Yamato called, stopping the two in their tracks. He made five handseals, ending with a Hebi. "Mokuton: Shichūka no Jutsu!"

A wooden two-storey house rose out of the ground into the middle of the clearing. The Konoha emblem was proudly displayed on the doors.

The rest of the group watched on, wide eyed and mouths agape, even Hidetada, all in shock as to what they had just witnessed. This instilled a small sense of pride in Yamato, knowing that his skills were appreciated.

"Well, make yourself at home," he said, attempting to break them out of their stupor.

The group just remained in their positions. If a bounty hunter was lurking by, they'll have the payday of their lives delivered to them in the most simplest of ways. A quick kunai to the throat would do the trick, since the group, with the exception of Yamato were unaware of their surroundings.

"Errm guys?" Yamato said.

It was Naruto who returned to his senses first.

"That was so… COOL!" he exclaimed. He then turned to Yamato. "Ne ne oneesan, teach me how to do that!"

Yamato was stumped for a second at the instant request. "Err; I don't think you'll be able to do it Naruto."

"Whaddya mean? Of course I'll be able to do it! Do you know who you're talking to?"

"Uzumaki Naruto?" Yamato replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Well duh, yes that, but you're also talking to the future Hokage of Konoha, dattebayo!" the blond exclaimed.

Yamato sighed. This wasn't as easy as he thought. Well there was no harm in attempting to teach the boy the fundamentals behind it.

"Alright then Hokage-sama," Yamato said with a slight mocking tone. "You do it like this…"

The off-duty ANBU was so absorbed in his tuition of the blonde, he didn't notice the others had snapped out of their daze and were already inspecting the house. They each gave it an appraising review in their own heads as it was better than their expectations.

Eventually the group retired for the night, along with an irate Naruto, who was peeved that he couldn't perform the Mokuton jutsu.

* * *

><p>Jiraiya dumped the body of a knocked out man, restrained by ninja wire. He looked slightly roughed up, but was in a much better shape than the others, especially Tsunayoshi, who was nursing a sprained ankle.<p>

The house that Yamato had created had come under attack during the dead of night. Three of those cursed soldiers, as Hidetada had dubbed them, along with twenty samurai attempted to eliminate the group, but the samurai had been quickly wiped out. Hell, even Naruto just managed to take out a samurai. Now that was shameful.

The three cursed soldiers were the hardest to deal with however, especially since Jiraiya had requested for one to be caught unharmed. Tsunayoshi had made a bad landing after a jumping evasive manoeuvre, resulting in his sprained ankle due to his drowsiness.

It was Yoshimune who showed the Konoha ninja why the Tokugawa clan were chosen as the Daimyō's Royal Guard. Three of the four sword holsters were revealed to contain no swords, just the handle and guards. By channelling chakra into it, he could create a blade of chakra. The final holster did contain a sword, but it was longer than your average katana.

He flawlessly appeared into the guard of two of the cursed soldiers, delivering a series of strikes on every vital organ on their mutated bodies with the aid of successive Shunshin's.

The final cursed soldier capitalised on the fact the group wanted to incapacitate him, not maim or kill, by dealing various blows to anyone that came near him. He continued this pattern until Jiraiya slapped a Chakra-Suppressing seal onto the soldier's forehead and knocked him out.

Jiraiya was currently observing a marking on the man's collarbone that looked like three raindrops arranged in a circle. To anyone else, it was merely a tattoo, but Jiraiya could feel the power leaking from the marking, despite being suppressed.

He called the party to gather round as he proceeded to explain his findings.

"Alright, from what I've seen so far, I can hypothesis that the source of the cursed soldiers' power is from this here," he said, pointing at the marking.

"A tattoo?" Hayate asked sceptically.

"A seal," Jiraiya corrected. Naruto perked up at this point and began to pay extra attention to the man. "When I applied my Chakra-Suppression seal onto this man, the skin colour returned to normal, and it seemed to withdraw into this seal. From what I can tell, this seal overrides the sense of reason of those who are marked with it."

The group absorbed the new piece of information.

"Do you know who is behind this?" Yoshimune asked.

Jiraiya looked grim and locked eyes with Yamato.

"I have a hunch," he said.

"Who?" asked Yamato.

"Orochimaru."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Authors note:<strong>_

Once again, thanks to all those who put this story as either their favourite or alert, and thanks for the reviews received. The ending was rushed since I wanted to finish this chapter and get it out quickly. Can't keep you all waiting now can I?

The Tokugawa clan is derived from the Tokugawa Shoguate, who ruled during the Edo period of Japan. The funny thing is that each of the Shogun's who weren't adopted into the family have their names used in Katekyo Hitman Reborn! as Tsuna's ancestors between himself and Giotto.

Oda Nobunaga was also a real life daimyō in feudal Japan. The reason why I chose him as a character was thanks to Flame of Recca, which uses him as well.

For those of you who have guessed by now, the Daimyō of Tetsu no Kuni has Alzheimer's disease, a condition that affects the brain, causing various problems that could lead to death.

Review replies:

Usually I'll reply through a PM, but it slipped my mind and the reply URL expired. Gomen!

Ghost reader: The summary of this story is basically a quote by Kushina when she was speaking to Naruto. Minato was a master of Fūinjutsu according to Naruto wiki, so while not better than _all_ the Uzumaki's in the art, he must have been better than some. The Rasengan didn't derive from Kushina, it came from the principles behind the Bijūdama. The only thing Kushina taught him was Fūinjutsu. As for the Kyūbi sealing, remember Minato used the Shiki Fūjin, a kinjutsu that takes the life of the user once completed. There is no source that said Mito also used the Shiki Fūjin to seal away the Kyūbi, which is why she survived the sealing.

Bw29853: I'm glad you like this fic. As for Jiraiya, he'll play an active role in Naruto's development; however Naruto will still be part of Team 7, but for different reasons.

Alchemists19, Luckyschoolgirl and Ferrets Writing Fanfiction: Glad you are all enjoying this story so far.

_**Glossary**_

Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū – The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. An organisation that consists of the best blade wielding Shinobi of the current generation in Kiri. They use swords with unique abilities, making them a deadly force to be reckoned with.

Gomenkudasai – Please forgive me

Itterasshai – Have a good day; take care; see you

Bakuton – Explosion release

Taishō – General

Tsuki no Kuni – Land of the Moon

Oni – Demon

**Move List**

Shunshin no Jutsu – Body Flicker Technique – D-rank Jutsu that enables a ninja to move over short or long distances in a short amount of time. To anyone else it would seem as if they teleported, but it is really the user using a certain amount of chakra to vitalise their body and move at extreme speeds.

Tōton no Jutsu – Transparent Escape Tenchnique – a Jutsu that allows Jiraiya to spy on women without being caught.

Mokuton: Shichūka no Jutsu – Wood Release: Four-Pillar House Technique – By sending chakra into the ground, the roots are converted into raw materials, turning into a house by the users imagination and accelerated growth.

There you go guys; I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I've got a favour to ask of you as well. There is this fic I read some while back; its summary was something along the lines of "what would a day in Naruto's life be like if his parents were alive." The story was basically one chapter, with Naruto going shopping with Hinata and Sakura, and Kushina saying something like "who do you think he's going to choose between the girls?" I've looked everywhere for it, and I can't seem to find it, so here I am before you guys and requesting for your aid in my search. If you recognise this story, please get in touch, I'll appreciate it.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings. God Bless.

Ja ne!


	4. Inception: Chapter 3

I guess it's been a very long while since I've updated, over a year in fact! As for why, well what can I say, I lacked a lot of inspiration for this chapter and fic in general, hell I even considered restarting it like Twilight Chronicles, but I decided to resurrect it. Fūinjutsu!Naruto is one of my favourite genre's and I'll be damned if I let this fic go down the drain.

Also for those of you who read my A/N's and **Bw29853**, there has been a change of plan, Naruto won't join Team 7 so he'll remain as Jiraiya's apprentice.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 3<strong>_

The entourage trekked through the snow, going at a steady pace under the orange glow of sunset as the snow came down. Naruto's eyes were squinted to protect them from the chilly gales and the glare of the sun reflected by the snow on the floor.

"Brr, it's cold," Naruto grumbled as he pulled his grey cloak closer to his small frame as to insulate himself further.

"You're telling me," Tsunayoshi replied while wiping his nose with a gloved hand.

Seeing that it was getting darker and a snowstorm seemed to be picking up, Hidetada relayed his next instructions. "Alright minna-san, there should be a town just an hour ahead. We will rest there for the night."

True to his word, the group arrived at the town within an hour and rented one large room which had five beds. It was decided by Hidetada that while to group from Konoha slept through the night, he, Yoshimune and Tsunayoshi would keep watch. Despite being in an inn, the sole fact that there was currently a coup d'état going on meant that there were spies and assassins all about. Two will keep watch while the other slept and they would rotate through the night.

Once they had dropped off their equipment and supplies – including armour – in the room, they all headed to the roof, except for Yamato who wanted an early night, to get in another training session before they arrived back in the capital. Yoshimune took Hayate aside so Hayate could begin to learn the basics of the Mikazuki no Mai.

Tsunayoshi also took Naruto aside, who in turn, created a Kage Bunshin to continue reading from his Fūinjutsu guide. Naruto stood before the young elite samurai with eagerness and a grin threatened to split his face.

"So Naruto, you wanna learn how to use a sword eh?" Tsunayoshi asks with a small smirk tugging at the edges of his lips. Naruto nodded rapidly. "Alright, I'll teach you."

"YATTA!" Naruto jumped high as he punched the air in joy.

Tsunayoshi chuckled at the display. "Ok, now Naruto, since you are a bit on the short side-"

"Hey!" protested Naruto. Okay he was a bit short for his age, maybe even too short, but that was hardly his fault! And Tsuna-nī didn't need to rub it in like that! He got enough of that from Ero-Sennin…

The Tokugawa samurai ignored the indignant cry of the blonde and carried on, "It will be downright stupid to teach you how to use a katana for now. But do not despair, for I, the great Tokugawa Tsunayoshi-sama have come up with an answer to your problems!" Tsunayoshi reached into a sack secured by a sash encircling his waist which held various tools he needed.

"This!" Tsunayoshi thrust his gloved hand towards Naruto. "Is a tantō!"

"Sorry not interested." Naruto made to take over from his clones reading.

"MATTE!" Tsunayoshi's shout halted Naruto's steps and returned his bored gaze onto the brunette. Tsunayoshi gripped the tantō's handle within his right hand. "You'll be interested alright, just watch this."

Turning to face a large expanse of snow, Tsunayoshi channelled his chakra through the tantō and manipulated it so that the blade was as long as a nodachi. With an upwards vertical swing, the chakra condensed to the tip of the blade, magnifying the slash attack and then flew forward, taking the shape of a wave. The released chakra blade carved a large trench into the snow and carried on until it dissipated.

Turning around, Tsunayoshi was pleased to be met with the awestruck gaze of one Uzumaki Naruto whose eyes had literally turned into bright golden stars.

"S-S-SU… SUGOI!" Naruto exclaimed loudly. He rushed towards Tsunayoshi so that he may bask in the sheer awesomeness that the young samurai seemed to radiate. Jiraiya chuckled to himself, the scene reminded Jiraiya of his tutelage under Sarutobi Hiruzen in which he would be awed by even the simplest of jutsu, much to the annoyance of Tsunade and Orochimaru.

Just as Naruto was about to bombard Tsunayoshi with questions, Jiraiya halted him. "Hold on a minute gaki." However this action got him a piercing glare from the blonde. "Whaddya want Ero-Sennin, can't you see I'm busy?"

Irked, Jiraiya could only complain about the lack of respect under his breath, lest he become engaged in a full blown argument. "What I want gaki is for you to make a Kage Bunshin and send it over here," the Gama Sennin grinded through gritted teeth, as a vein throbbed erratically on his temple.

Naruto's right hand found its place behind his head as he had a dopey smile on his face that creeped out Jiraiya a little.

"Ehehehe, sorry Ero-Sennin, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" A clone materialised next to its creator in a puff of smoke and went over to Jiraiya, while the original began to bombard Tsunayoshi with questions.

"So, what do you want Ero-Sennin?" questioned the clone, casting an inquisitive gaze on the Gama Sennin.

Jiraiya whipped out a kunai from the folds of his green kimono shirt and handed it over to the clone. "I want you to practise covering this kunai with your chakra. Make sure its stable and master it to a degree that you can do it instinctively."

The clone scratched its head lightly but shrugged and walked off to do its task under the watchful gaze of Jiraiya. As his eyes tracked the clones movements, Jiraiya couldn't help but see the blatant resemblance between Minato and Naruto.

"You know, when I heard the name Uzumaki Naruto, my mind wandered back nine years ago to when the Yondaime Hokage visited this place."

Hidetatda's words snapped Jiraiya's attention back to the present and the white haired ninja faced the dark haired samurai.

"He's their son isn't he?" asked Hidetada.

Jiraiya nodded once.

"And I assume that by his use of the Uzumaki name, he is not aware of his heritage; that or he bears such a grudge on his father for sealing the Kyūbi into him, he wants no connection to him."

Jiraiya's eyes widened exponentially as his jaw slackened. "W-W-Wha… h-h-how?"

Hidetada smirked lightly and folded his arms across his unarmoured torso. "When a boy of his age has more chakra than Yoshimune, even after taking his Uzumaki genes into account there has to be another factor at work. Another thing is that Bijū cannot be killed, so despite how Konoha may try to strike fear into their enemies, namely Iwa, by sending a warning that they can produce Bijūslayers so to speak, there are those such as myself which Konoha cannot fool. Besides, considering Minato's skill in Fūinjutsu, it's not farfetched to assume Minato would create a new Jinchūriki, and who could he use other than his son?"

Jiraiya calmly absorbed Hidetada's words and found himself in slight awe over the samurai's analytical skills.

"Well, you are certainly right and your guesses are spot on. And to answer your previous statement, Naruto doesn't know of his heritage, Sarutobi-sensei believes it'd be best for him to reach Chūnin rank before revealing his heritage."

Hidetada was astounded. "What kind of reasoning is that?"

"Sarutobi-sensei seems to think to think the gaki is stupid enough to tell every single soul willing to give him the time of day his heritage, so Iwa would catch wind of it and we will potentially have a Fourth Great Shinobi War on our hands."

Hidetada could only sigh in exasperation. "While I agree with Sarutobi-dono, I believe withholding Naruto's heritage from him would do more harm than good, especially if he finds out from another source."

Jiraiya could only nod in agreement.

"You and I both."

* * *

><p>The group exited from an underground tunnel that was seemingly colder than the outside climate. The tunnel was made during the First Shinobi World War in case of an attempted siege or invasion by any hostile forces. The tunnel was a link from a local town in Tetsu no Kuni, to the armoury of the Samurai barracks. Despite apparent lack of inconspicuousness, both entrances were concealed by a permanent genjutsu via an Fūinjutsu array and its existence itself is only known to the current Daimyō, the Tokugawa clan and Commander of the Samurai forces.<p>

Hidetada channeled some chakra into the centre of a seal emblazoned onto the door. The seal, recognising the chakra signature of the samurai, disabled its rudimentary functions and permitting entrance for the group. Naruto hung back however, comparing the sealing array on the door to one in his book. Yoshimune raised a brow at Jiraiya.

"Leave him; it's in his blood."

With a small nod of understanding, the group departed leaving the young blond to his own devices. As they made their way to the command centre, Jiraiya noticed the lack of female presence.

"So errm," he began, trying to find a way to formulate his words without revealing too much of his true nature. "Do you have a set criterion you have to meet before you can join the forces?"

Hidetatda tilted his head slightly. "How do you mean?"

"I mean like is there restrictions on age, height, background… _sex?_"

Hidetada was taken aback for a moment. Why did Jiraiya-sama put an emphasis on the last part? Could it be that the rumours of his perverted nature were true?

Banishing those thoughts Hidetada returned his focus to the question at hand.

"Well, the minimum age for joining is fourteen, and you spend two years being trained in Kenjutsu and various others. Maximum age, well there is no solid barrier but it ranges from between forty to fifty-five.

"There aren't any height or background restrictions either, though it is best if you're not too tall – you don't want to be a sitting duck for archers or the likes.

"Now gender… well we have no qualms if a female wants to join the forces. However, they are at a disadvantage."

"What is it?" Jiraiya asked.

"Well, Kunoichi have all the flexibility in the world, which suits them perfectly and helps them balance out any disadvantage they may have against male opponents. However, this flexibility is taken away by the armour we samurai have to wear, putting them at a disadvantage, which is why we don't have any female recruits."

Though disappointed, Jiraiya understood the man's reasoning perfectly well. Still, he would've appreciated it if there were at least _some_ women around.

The group met up with Mifune as soon as they entered the command centre, who informed them they are yet to receive word from the Daimyō or Ieyasu, following their message informing the duo of the current events. Mifune then debriefed them on the current situation.

"So far, there have been around twenty-four more skirmishes since Hidetada, Yoshimune and Tsunayoshi-kun left to escort you back here. With each skirmish, we lose on average six soldiers to injury and three to death." Mifune said.

"However, we haven't ever lost a skirmish against Nobunaga's men. But so far, every skirmish we've had, none of those 'cursed soldiers' are present, which is a decisive factor – if we were to encounter just one of those warriors; we will suffer a serious loss."

Jiraiya cursed under his breath. If it weren't for the complexity of the Juinjutsu he would've been able to devise a counter by now. It still eluded him just how Orochimaru was able to devise such elaborate seals. It was almost as if he were an Uzumaki…

It then hit him like a ton of bricks. There was no reason why Orochimaru wouldn't be able to gain some Uzumaki Fūinjutsu knowledge, either by being taught, or raiding the ruins of Uzushiogakure.

Nevertheless, it has been proven that the most effective way to fight an Uzumaki was through an Uzumaki, fighting fire with fire so to speak. And currently, he had an Uzumaki as an apprentice who was in possession with one of the most valuable Fūinjutsu books in existence.

"I'll be right back!" Jiraiya said before leaving the room with a seal-less Shunshin. He appeared in the middle of an avenue, startling a couple of strolling Samurai. Looking around frantically, he deduced that searching by foot would take up an unnecessary amount of time. He sat down cross-legged and brought his fists together.

"Sennin Mōdo." Jiraiya intoned.

The natural energy rushed into his being. His nose grew bigger and gained warts and the lines on his face grew thicker. He also sprouted a goatee. Once he successfully entered the state, he expanded his senses to locate his student, finding his chakra signature south-east to his current position.

He released his hold on the Senjutsu chakra, all changes undoing themselves, and rushed off.

* * *

><p>Naruto was having the time of his life. First he found the Samurai kitchens which served RAMEN of all things and it was almost as good as Ichiraku's. Another benefit was that despite forgetting his wallet at home, the nice Oji-san allowed him to place the bill on Ero-sennin's tab!<p>

Taking full advantage of this perk, the blonde challenged every occupant of the cafeteria to a ramen eating contest. Now he was on his 21st bowl and showing no signs of stopping even though it was only down to him and another burly man who turned out to be an Akimichi.

"Finished!" He slapped his hand down on the counter and faced his rival with fire in his eyes. The Akimichi pushed his bowl aside, swallowing down the remnants of his food.

"Mashiro! Send another!" He called and two bowls were placed in front of the competitors.

The pair rapidly emptied their bowls amidst the large amount of cheering and bet placing of the observers.

"Another!"

The 23rd bowls were downed as quickly as the other twenty two.

"Anot-!" Naruto stopped in his tracks as his peripheral caught the Akimichi collapse face first in the broth of his half empty ramen bowl. Silence reigned in the cafeteria for a hot moment until the roars and cheering of the crowd banished it. However there were many unhappy Samurai's as they lost their bet along with their savings. They simply couldn't get their head around how Akimichi Sanagi, the renowned bottomless pit, was outeaten by an _eight year old gaki_ of all people.

It was this scene Jiraiya stumbled on. The sight of Naruto being thrown into the air by multiple Samurai's while chanting 'hip hip horray!' was enough to earn a sweatdrop.

_Seriously, that gaki does the most mysterious things when I'm not around_. He thought. He went over to the counter where Naruto was grinning with joy and bombarded with compliments from all sides by grateful gamblers. _At least he's happy here though. _

"Oi gaki!" Jiraiya called.

Naruto's eyes looked at the source of the voice. "Ero-sennin!"

Jiraiya sighed. It seems you simply cannot teach an old toad new tricks. He stopped by the counter, raising an eyebrow at the Samurai with his head in a ramen bowl. Shrugging it off as inconsequential, Jiraiya placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Come on, it's time to go."

"Where're we going?"

Jiraiya smirked. "To the war room."

Naruto hopped off his stool. He took a couple of steps but stopped and grabbed his crotch. "Uh oh."

Jiraiya stopped as well. "What's wrong?"

"I gotta go…"

"Can't you hold it?"

Naruto shook his head rapidly, no doubt losing a couple of brain cells in the act. Jiraiya sighed once more. "Alright hurry up."

Naruto bolted into the toilets leaving Jiraiya standing by himself. A strong hand clamped on his shoulder and he turned to face Mashiro, who was sporting a very dark look and a very sharp looking knife was clasped in his fist.

"You are Jiraiya, or as you like to be called Ero-sennin, are you not?" Mashiro asked.

_That damn gaki! _Jiraiya fumed. "Yes I am Jiraiya." He stressed.

"Well according to Uzumaki-sama, you are the one who will pay for all of this." Mashiro gestured back to the counter. It was then that Jiraiya finally took stock of the absurd amount of empty bowls stacked up. A look of horror settled on Jiraiya's face as he mentally calculated the amount he was going to shell out.

"Also," Mashiro added. "Don't even think about running. Uzumaki-sama has already given me one of your unfinished manuscripts for Icha Icha." Mashiro smirked sadistically.

"NARUTO!"

* * *

><p>Out of all the fields available for a ninja to pursue, Fūinjutsu was the least popular simply for the sheer complexity and the endless amount of dedication needed to practice it. You had to dedicate hours to the seemingly worthless practice of calligraphy, followed by studying various Fūinjutsu theories and notable instances in which it had been used and what for.<p>

However, if one could master the art of Fūinjutsu, they would be an unstoppable juggernaut; their very names would strike fear into the hearts of even the most battle-hardened ninja.

That was why the Uzumaki clan was said to be able to give and take life through a single touch. Many of the more fervent believers in the supernatural said that they had an eternally binding contract with the Shinigami himself or even the _descendants_ of said entity.

There were those who studied Fūinjutsu to add it to their repertoire of Jutsu and there were those such as Jiraiya who simply loved to solve the puzzle that is Fūinjutsu. Being a spymaster, and a damn good one that, he had to decipher codes that even a Nara would be unable to make heads or tails of. Call him a nerd if you will, Jiraiya merely loved a challenge and what more of a challenge could be get than having to devise a counter-seal to Orochimaru's Juinjutsu with nothing more than a hundred year old book.

The Gama Sennin poured every ounce of Fūinjutsu knowledge gained over the years into his task. There were many crumpled up pieces of paper bearing designs that would either suck the users chakra dry upon usage or turn everything within a three mile radius into nothing but ash; failed designs if you may.

A frustrated sigh split the air and callused hands grabbed a mop of white hair. He had been going at it for hours, depriving himself of sleep.

He had no choice though; the outcome of the war depended entirely on the presence of counter-seals.

Yawning bashfully, Jiraiya flipped through the pages of the Fūinjutsu guide, eyes taking in snippets of each page as they passed before a certain paragraph caught his attention.

He scanned through it before reading it once more, this time letting all the details sink in.

A feral smirk materialised on his lips.

_Jiraiya 1, Orochimaru 0…_

* * *

><p>"Nobunaga-sama," a baritone voice said, lacking any form of inflection. "Our scouts have returned."<p>

"Report."

"They spotted sight of one whom they identified as Jiraiya of the Densetsu no Sannin entering a small town on the outskirts accompanied by Hidetada, Yoshimune and Tsunayoshi of the Tokugawa Samurai."

There was a short moment of silence, broken by a thoughtful hum. "How predictable of Mifune to request help, from ninja no less! Was there anyone else with them?"

"Hai, reports say that there were two Konoha ninja of either Chūnin or Jōnin rank and a blonde child tagging along."

Another thoughtful hum resonated through the barren enclave. "This is an interesting development. The arrival of Jiraiya changes things indeed," another hum followed. "Regardless, I have friends in high places and this Jiraiya should be no match for him. Tell the troops not to be discouraged," an amber eye gleamed in the meagre light provided by a lone candle. "By this time next week, we shall rule the entirety of Tetsu no Kuni."

* * *

><p>A single scroll dropped onto the oaken table. The occupants of the room looked at it with suspicion, their eyes going back and forth between the rolled parchment and the face-splitting grin of Jiraiya.<p>

"If I may Jiraiya-kun," Mifune began. "Can you explain what this is?" Mifune asked, expecting a thorough explanation of what the scroll was and what it contained.

He received a simple "why don't you find out" for his troubles.

Keeping the scroll on the table so that the others could see, the Head Samurai unrolled it to reveal an intricate design that seemed to dance on the material it was drawn on. Having some knowledge of Fūinjutsu, Mifune was able to spot a shiki for the suppression of foreign chakra and a matrix for stability. The rest was lost on him.

"As I was trying to come up with this seal, I was browsing through the pages of the gaki's Fūinjutsu book when something caught my eye," Jiraiya began. "Since the Uzumaki were a really large clan, it was the norm for an Uzumaki to marry an Uzumaki, hell even incest- or as I call it, _Uzumakicest_ - was common; their unique genes were able to negate any adverse effects of inbreeding to the offspring.

"Even so, there were those who wanted to marry outside of the clan. This was a problem for the Uzumaki's because due to their incredible life force and longevity, they could live well pass a hundred years old thus outliving their spouse for a very long time. In order to find a solution, they created a seal in which Uzumaki chakra would slowly leak in and merge with the user via the seal, allowing them to inherit their traits such as their life force and longevity.

"This was the precursor of Orochimaru's Juinjutsu. However this method only works if the chakra drawn upon is more potent than the users, and the Uzumaki had chakra said to be as potent as the Bijū."

"Forgive me for interrupting Jiraiya-sama, but if that is the case, how is Orochimaru able to re-create this seal?" Hidetada asked.

A wry smirk greeted him. "There are a few ways for gaining potent chakra. Intensive training is the most common one, genes are another such as a Kekkei Genkai. The way I suspect Orochimaru gained it was through experimentation. He must have altered his body in such a way that his chakra needed to become more potent in order to survive - forcing his body to adapt. I wouldn't be surprised if he's able to she'd his own skin now." The Gama Sennin inwardly shuddered at the thought. Such things were not healthy for one's mind to dwell on.

"So if you don't mind me asking," Mifune said, "exactly how does this seal work?" Jiraiya stepped to the head of the table.

"Basically, the cursed soldiers have a maelstrom of potent chakra surging through them once their seals are activated. What this seal does is suppress Orochimaru's influence over their mind, i.e. neutralise the Yin-half of the chakra. In order to counter Yin chakra, you need Yang, and Yang chakra can be created by splitting normal chakra."

He gestured to a matrix, "This matrix is tied to the Fūton element as it is feared for its cutting attributes. The matrix would absorb the administered chakra, splitting it into its Yin and Yang counterparts before feeding the Yang chakra though the body."

He gestured at another matrix, "This matrix contains the principles behind the chakra-suppressing seal. I added a few shiki's to it so that it can be able to distinguish Orochimaru's chakra from the subject and suppress the correct one."

"What would happen if the subject's chakra is suppressed instead of Orochimaru's?" Asked Hidetada.

A grim countenance appeared on Jiraiya's face. "Then my friends, we will have a horde of mindless Orochimaru clones on the loose."

There was a deafening silence as Jiraiya finished his lecture and the rest assimilated the new information.

"It is so… simple," all eyes were on Mifune. "I do not wish to doubt you Jiraiya-kun, but are you sure it would work?"

Jiraiya responded to the vote of confidence with an easy smile. "While the seal remains untested, I am more than willing to bet anything that it would work. Despite it seeming relatively simple, it took me the whole night to conceive the basic mainframe from which I built upon."

Mifune accepted it with a quiet apology and a bow of his head. It was then that a messenger burst into the room looking as if he had been a few rounds with the Ichibi.

"Mifune-sama! Forgive my intrusion but one of our patrols have returned and Okisuke-sama is gravely injured!" The messenger announced with a haggard breath.

"Take me to him!" Mifune ordered, and he began to follow the messenger out of the room before pausing at the doorway. "Jiraiya-kun, I would like you to join us please." The Gama Sennin nodded his consent. "Hidetada-kun, please take Jiraiya-kun's seal to Urakaku-kun in the armoury. He will know what to do with it."

"Your wish is my command." Hidetada replied and bowed his head to the Taishō.

With this, Mifune and Jiraiya swiftly exited the room.

* * *

><p>Bursting into the infirmary, Mifune, tailed by Jiraiya, was directed to the third floor in which the private rooms were situated. He entered the nondescript room, his appearance causing Okisuke to sit up lest he looked weak before his leader.<p>

His movements however, was halted by a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Don't force yourself Okisuke-kun, conserve your strength so that you may have a speedy recovery," Mifune said.

Jiraiya noted of the way Okisuke immediately complied, seeing the similarities between Mifune and the Sandaime in their handling of their subordinates. Both leaders put the interests of others before their own, earning a great deal of respect from said subordinates.

Okisuke was in a dire condition. His recon squad was caught unawares and ambushed by a small group of cursed soldiers and a recon group of Nobunaga's. He had lost most of his men, the only survivors being himself and three others. However, their efforts were not in vain as they managed to intercept some vital intel from Nobunaga to his men, along with decimating the ambushers.

"So what happened?" Mifune asked, addressing the elephant in the room.

"We were on our recon patrol when we managed to catch one of Nobunaga's men unawares. We interrogated him and found out that Nobunaga is planning on a final push at dawn tomorrow," a coughing fit cut him off. Jiraiya handed him a cup of water from the bedside table which alleviated Okisuke's discomfort.

"Arigatō. The soldier told us the army is moving towards the south, so we can safely assume Nobunaga is planning on entering the citadel through the southern gates. However this was all I was able to gleam from him as he was nothing more than a foot soldier."

Mifune waved off the apology. "There's not need to apologise Okisuke, what information you secured for us is more valuable than you think. Now that we know which direction the enemy is striking from, we can now act accordingly."

* * *

><p>Watching his godson train brought up wave upon wave of utter wistfulness. Bearing an almost carbon copy appearance of his father, with the exception of his founder face, eyes and the whisker marks that triple each cheeks, and the attitude of his mother was an unique cocktail in itself. And while he may not be the sharpest kunai in the lot, it was the raw unrefined talent that separated him from the rest.<p>

_Much like me_, Jiraiya mused with a smirk, that soon turned bitter.

There were oh so many regrets one could accumulate in life, but Jiraiya felt he had received the lions share.

Dead-last in the academy, unable to gain the love of his life, unable to prevent his brother in all but blood from defecting from Konoha, unable to help his so called love in her time of need, not being there to help - and possibly prevent the death of - Minato and Kushina as they fought against the Kyūbi.

While those regrets played on his mind, there was none more so than his inability to get over his grief soon enough to be there for his apprentice's legacy.

It was because of this that Jiraiya made a silent vow to himself to always protect Naruto and look out for the kid like a godfather was supposed to do.

Not to say that he's gonna coddle the blonde, no way. That gaki will be on the receiving end of many an ass-whipping if he attempts to make such a gallant man such as himself the subject of a prank.

Making his presence known to the gaki, Jiraiya smiled to himself.

_Yes_, he thought. _Everything is going to be alright. _

* * *

><p>"Konbanha Tsunayoshi-sama," a languid wave returned the guard's greeting as the young samurai strolled through the courtyard.<p>

It was no surprise the courtyard was devoid of people, it was 2 in the morning after all, but while others, save for those on graveyard shift, were in their beds, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi decided to take an early morning stroll.

With the plans set in motion for the upcoming confrontation with Nobunaga, one wouldn't be too surprised if he were to tell them he had a lot on his mind.

However, it was neither Nobunaga nor his men who occupied his thoughts; rather it was the Daimyō's daughter, Hiromi.

His… lover for lack of a better term.

To everybody else, it looked as if Hiromi ran away from the court. However what they didn't know was that it was he who orchestrated the whole 'escape from the Daimyō's palace'. Yoshimune, being the good old sceptic he is, had his own suspicions about it being an inside job. Perfectly logical, I mean how else can a pampered _princess_ escape from a _samurai_ country, undetected and without trace?

Tsunayoshi was grateful for Hidetada's overwhelming trust in the samurai of Tetsu and his unwillingness to believe that anyone would assist Hiromi in her departure.

The thought of his own beloved otōto being the mastermind behind it… let's just say that Hidetada would sooner commit seppuku before accepting such things.

At first glance it would seem that Tsunayoshi was taking advantage of his brother's good nature, but it was his love for Hiromi that convinced him to help her. It hurt him seeing her forlorn expression when talking about her dreams and her desire to become something for herself rather than potentially being used in a political marriage.

Letting out a sigh, the brunette chuckled to himself. Only eighteen and already jaded. What would his mother say?

"You shouldn't hide things from anyone, Tsuna-kun, especially not your brothers," she'd say. "The guilt will eat you up from inside and consume you to the point where you cannot even function properly. Just come clean, and even though your father may beat some sense in you, you'll feel better at the end of the day."

_Good old k__ā__chan, still giving me advice even in death Kami rest your soul…_

With a loud yawn, Tsunayoshi decided to head to bed. He'll need all of his energy for the upcoming battle, especially if _he_ shows his face.

Hopefully by sunset everything should be resolved.

* * *

><p>AN: Well a lot of character development, I wanted to finish off this arc in this chapter but I also wanted to get something out ASAP. The arc should be finished up next chapter though and then the story'll get moving.

Glossary:

Minna-san – all; everyone; everybody

Konbanha – Good evening

Move List:

Mikazuki no Mai – Dance of the Crescent Moon – A-rank, short ranged offensive Kenjutsu technique in which the user creates three Kage Bunshin's in which each one assaults the enemy in a blind spot. As the attack occurs simultaneously, it is impossible to catch them flat-footed and receiving a blow from even one of them will have devastating effects on the victim.

Sennin Mōdo - Sage Mode - The result of using natural energy along with normal chakra to drastically power up one's attacks. Those who are able to enter this state are known as Sage's.

Hope you enjoyed.

God Bless

Deus Namikaze


	5. Well

Well… never in my wildest dreams did I think I would actually be writing this.

First of all I want to thank all of you who have taken time to read my work along with follow/favourite/review it, you don't know how much it meant to me.

I want to start by saying 2014 has been a very turbulent year for me, I lost all my work that I had written for my stories meaning I had to start from scratch in terms of plans and whatnot which is a big motivation killer. I also had to deal with health problem including being hospitalised during my exam period which really fucked me up, luckily I still got the grades but I feel I could've done much better. And the motivation hasn't _really_ been there, I can write the plans but when it comes to the chapters… it's just not clicking you know?

Before I continue, let me give you a brief history.

I first found this site on a day back in summer 2011 after searching high and low for some good NaruSaku material and I saw this on the Heaven and Earth forum. I read a couple of fics and boom I was hooked to . I just want to make a special mention to Denim88, because even if he does not know, it was his fics that inspired me to write to begin with.

Now, I have been following Naruto since around 2004 or so, and as such it has been a major part of my life. When I found out it was ending, I was rather sad, yeah it was gonna end at some point but like with all the things we love, we'd rather it ends later rather than sooner. Then the movie announcement came up and I was excited. Naturally.

Then the extended trailer came out… along with the movie soundtrack cover… and the scans of Naruto's kids with Hinata.

For a devout NaruSaku fan as I, I simply couldn't believe it.

Call it what you will, be it bitterness or throwing my toys out of the pram, I'm rather livid at the moment.

The whole NaruHina relationship is a joke. Simple. Even Naruto x Movie girls has more development than NaruHina and that's a fact. What, Hinata says she loves Naruto and they held hands and bam its canon?! That's a joke.

Kishimoto has been hinting at NaruSaku the whole time no matter what others may say. You cannot deny that. All the parallels with MinaKushi and JirTsu, all the foreshadowing and then he goes and pulls this out of his ass… just wow. Even non-NaruSaku/NaruHina pairings were saying it's a joke with how they just get together out of nowhere.

Yeah Sakura reaffirmed her love for Sasuke on chapter 69whatever, but it has been shown she does harbour some romantic feelings for Naruto. What happened to that?

And while we're talking about feelings, yes Hinata confessed her love for Naruto, but when has he ever shown any romantic interest at her? And I'm talking about canon as in MANGAVERSE not anime canon that NaruHina fans like to quote like it's some bible scripture or something.

I've seen people talking about how DB/DBZ was Kishi's inspiration and Goku ended up with Chi Chi over Bulma and so it's only right Naruto picks Hinata over Sakura. Well, I don't recall Goku ever being attracted to Bulma or vice versa. And besides, Toriyama didn't put as much romance as Kishi put into his manga, Toriyama made it about having the desire to protect and the love for fighting, being the strongest under the heavens. Kishi did have the desire to protect as a main theme, but by God romance was a huge part of the Naruto manga.

As I stated earlier, it was NaruSaku that led me to write in the first place and now that hasn't happened I don't think I'm gonna continue any more. Which is a very sad thing for me, because despite by unreal laziness to write, I had some good fics planned out and had whole chapters written for them, along with chapters for my existing fics. Twilight Chronicles was to be my masterpiece, as shit as it looks right now, and for the record, it was going to be a NaruSāra fic.

I'm very sorry, but the desire is gone, and I can't allow anyone to adopt any of my work.

Before I round up I just want to add one more thing.

About a year ago, give or take a few weeks, I read an amazing manga called Bakuman (seriously check it out). It's about two kids who want to make manga, one is the writer, the other is the artist and their dynamic is a thing of beauty. It gave me a new respect for manga artists as a whole because not many respect what they actually go through in order to do their thing. Anyway, one part of the manga that really stuck to me was a conversation between Mashiro and Takagi as they were rounding up their masterpiece manga Reversi. One of them said "it is the ending of the manga that decides whether it will be remembered as a success or a failure."

I'm sorry to say Kishimoto, when you deus ex machina a pairing to work as the final note of the series as a way of 'connecting to the next generation' I cannot for the life of me consider the series to be a success. I'm very sad because it feels like a piece of me has been destroyed. But hey, it's your series, do what you will, we're only the fans right? Naruto made a big issue about never giving up and all that, but he sure gave up on his heart.

One of the reasons why I loved the Naruto series so much was because out of all the manga I've read, Naruto was the only one I could relate to the easiest.

Well, not anymore.

Maybe I will write again, but as it stands, the only activity I'll be conducting on this site is reading.

Goodbye.

Deus Namikaze.


End file.
